Gold medal skier Lindsey Vonn opens up about her devastating crash and recovery

[0:00] When she retired in 2019, Lindsey Vonn was already considered one of the greatest U.S. [0:05] skiers of all time. [0:06] Four World Cup titles, three Olympic medals, including the first gold for an American woman [0:12] in downhill skiing and 82 wins at World Cup events. [0:16] But in 2024, at the age of 40, Vonn returned to the slopes, once again competing at the [0:22] highest level and becoming the oldest World Cup winner in history. [0:26] In February, the world watched as she chased another Olympic medal in Italy. [0:31] Just 13 seconds into that run, a devastating crash. [0:36] Vonn airlifted off the course with a broken ankle and complex fractures in her leg. [0:41] I recently spoke with Lindsey Vonn and began by asking her how she's doing five surgeries [0:46] and just a few months after that crash. [0:50] I'm doing better, thanks. [0:52] It's still very slow, and I'm trying to make progress as best I can. [0:56] But I'm in a lot better shape than I was when everyone last saw me, that's for sure. [1:01] I mean, to watch it as viewers was horrifying. [1:04] It's unimaginable what it was like for you to live through that, just 13 seconds into that [1:09] downhill run. [1:11] In the moment, did you know the extent of your injuries? [1:15] Did you know how serious it was at the time? [1:17] Yeah, I knew immediately that I'd broken my leg. [1:19] I didn't know how badly it was broken. [1:21] I was hoping that it wasn't a compound fracture, and then I remember telling the doctor, you [1:27] know, please don't let me get compartment syndrome, which I did. [1:31] And, you know, unfortunately, there was nothing that anyone could have done about that. [1:34] That's really dependent upon how much trauma is in your body. [1:38] And of course, my leg was broken in quite a few places. [1:41] But I actually didn't really know the severity of everything as a whole until I actually left [1:47] Italy and was on my way to the U.S. [1:49] And then my doctor kind of broke everything down for me step by step on, you know, what [1:54] happened and where things were getting really serious and how he managed to manage the whole [2:02] situation and make sure that I saved my leg. [2:05] And he was able to make the right decision so that I could, you know, be where I am now. [2:09] I mean, you are no stranger to comebacks. [2:12] I think that's fair to say. [2:14] You got a partial knee replacement and you came back to compete after retiring. [2:17] It was just days before your Olympic competition that you tore in your ACL, which would have [2:22] been season ending for a number of people. [2:24] Is it resilience? [2:26] Is it stubbornness? [2:27] Is it determination? [2:28] Like, what is it in you that you tell yourself that keeps you going in those moments? [2:34] It's probably everything that you mentioned. [2:36] I'm definitely a person that if I set my mind to something, you know, I will work as hard [2:43] as it takes to get to where I want to go. [2:45] You know, I think if I think my body responded really well to tearing my ACL, there was really [2:53] not a lot of other damage, relatively speaking. [2:56] And with the amount of time I had to do rehab, which, you know, I spent 12 hours a day for [3:03] those five or six days leading up to the games, purely doing rehab and getting my knee ready [3:07] to be able to compete again. [3:10] But that's, you know, that's, that's my determination. [3:11] And also I just wasn't going to quit. [3:14] I was determined to be in these Olympics and, you know, I didn't want to give up until I knew [3:22] that was the only way forward. [3:24] And to be honest, I made a smart decision. [3:26] You know, I wasn't, I didn't just whimsically decide to, to race in the Olympics. [3:30] You know, I made sure that I consulted my doctor and my coaches and my, my PTs, you know, everyone [3:37] agreed that I was safe enough to race. [3:39] So, um, if I hadn't have worked as hard as I did, I wouldn't have been able to do it, but [3:44] I also had the support of everyone around me. [3:46] And, and it was, um, a difficult decision, but, um, but I, you know, I still got third [3:51] in the downhill training run. [3:53] So I knew physically, you know, I was in a good, good spot leading up to those games. [3:57] Even after all of those injuries, I see you've been posting updates online, sharing your recovery [4:02] and your progress with all your fans who are following along physically. [4:06] What are you able to do and not do just yet? [4:09] Well, I'm, I'm on crutches now. [4:11] I've worked my way off of the wheelchair, um, but I still can't go long distances. [4:15] So, you know, when I'm, when I was traveling here to New York, I still needed help. [4:19] I was in a, in a wheelchair for that, but I'm actually supposed to be trying to work my [4:23] way off of crutches here soon. [4:25] Again, it'll be really short distances, but, um, you know, I'll be 10 weeks out, um, as of [4:31] Monday. [4:32] Um, so, you know, slowly, but surely I'm getting there. [4:36] I'm still unable to do, you know, any sort of weight training. [4:39] My, my rehab exercises are pretty limited for me anyways. [4:43] I would always love to be doing more in the gym, but I'm trying to, you know, follow [4:48] the doctor's orders and, and really be meticulous and slow about how I come back, um, from this [4:56] injury. [4:57] But, um, yeah, working my way off crutches and walking without, uh, assistance is my, is [5:01] my big goal. [5:02] So for nearly 10 weeks now, you haven't been able to walk on your own just yet. [5:07] That has to be, especially for someone like you, that has to be really frustrating. [5:10] Yeah. [5:12] You know, especially while I was in a wheelchair, I was really a hundred percent dependent on [5:16] people helping me and I'm a very independent person. [5:19] So that was hard. [5:21] I feel like at times I was a burden and I don't like feeling that way, which I don't think [5:26] was a case necessarily, but that's kind of how I, um, perceived it in my mind. [5:30] So now that I'm able to do more, I feel better. [5:34] But I think it's more mentally challenged at this point than physically. [5:37] I know you're working with this biopharmaceutical company too, as a spokesperson in Vivid to [5:43] raise awareness for this antibodies for anybody campaign. [5:48] Why is that? [5:49] Is that antibody therapy something that's been a part of your recovery? [5:52] You know, as an athlete, of course, I always want to take care of myself. [5:55] And, um, I've, you know, been really cautious about getting sick my whole career. [6:00] Even if I look back to Vancouver, you know, when I was flying over from Europe, I was wearing [6:03] a mask and gloves, um, which everyone thought I was crazy, but you know, I, I just couldn't [6:08] afford to get sick. [6:10] And I think also as an athlete, you know, we assume that we have all the information, but [6:15] it's actually really hard to know what's true and what's not, and what's actually important [6:20] for you and not. [6:21] And so this campaign antibodies for anybody.com is an amazing way to educate everyone on what [6:28] antibodies do for you. [6:30] They fight against germs and toxins. [6:32] It just helps you kind of understand the choices that you make in your daily life that, um, affect [6:37] your health and your immune system and, um, and just gives you more information. [6:42] So you've been out recently talking about your recovery, talking about your plans ahead [6:47] as well. [6:48] And you recently said you had not ruled out returning to the Olympics in 2030. [6:54] You said I would only do it if I could be as fast, but we'll see really we'll see you [7:00] could be back on the slopes. [7:01] I don't know. [7:02] You know, I feel like I've gone through such a weave of emotions, um, since I crashed. [7:06] And, uh, I of course don't want to end my career on that run at the Olympics, but I'm [7:12] also, you know, a realistic person. [7:14] I know the chances that are probably low and for a good reason, but I'm just not, you know, [7:19] in a place to make any decisions yet, I feel like I need to, um, get healthy first and [7:25] then I can really assess my life and where I am. [7:28] You know, I was retired for six years and I had an amazing life and in a lot of ways, [7:32] I'm so excited to get back to it. [7:34] But, um, but I know that if I, if I'm physically healthy, I could still be competitive, um, in [7:40] ski racing if I wanted to. [7:41] So it just depends on, you know, where I am and I don't know where I'll be even next [7:48] week, let alone in a year. [7:49] So it'll just take some time, but I'm sure when I make the decision, I'll let you guys [7:53] know. [7:54] Well, we'll be watching and waiting for what comes next. [7:57] Lindsey Vonn, we're wishing you a full recovery. [7:59] Thank you so much for making the time. [8:00] Pleasure to speak with you. [8:01] Thank you. [8:02] I appreciate it. [8:04] Support journalism. [8:05] You trust support PBS news donate now or even better start a monthly contribution today.