Five Years After Horrifying Incident, Sobbing in Pain Lindsey Vonn Shares Her Vulnerable Moment

Lindsey Vonn had to endure horrific injuries throughout her 15-year career, to emerge as the greatest alpine skier in the world. From crashing her body in downhill championships to fracturing her bones, Vonn underwent five surgeries between 2006 to 2016. In fact, there have been times when the skier competed despite her injuries. However, that did not go well with the ski racer in 2018 when she tore a crucial ligament in her knee. In fact, the injury opened a new chapter in the skier’s life. 

In December 2019, Lindsey Vonn shared an unseen video of her weeping due to a heart-wrenching LCL injury from November 2018. As it was a vulnerable moment for the legendary skier, she opened up about the things that kept her away from crying. 

Lindsey Vonn had reasons to compete despite her injury

In the video, Lindsey Vonn was seen sitting on her stretcher and crying due to the pain of her knee injuries. The skier was expressing the discomfort she was feeling, while pulling up her sweatpants. 

Sharing the video, Vonn revealed to her fans that although it did not make it to her 2019 documentary, it still was close to her heart. She added, “This fun clip didn’t make it into my documentary but it’s a keeper.” Saying this, she told her fans what prevented her from crying, “Whenever I get hurt, just get me chocolate and ice cream. It makes any day better… even days like these! So have some ice cream and let’s get after it today!!” Lastly, she threw light upon her injury, “November 19, 2018- completely torn LCL and 3 tibial plateau fractures. Check out my doc on @hbo”

In 2018, while training at the Copper Mountain, Vonn crashed her body, tearing her lateral collateral ligament (LCL) on her left knee. However, instead of undergoing surgery immediately, Vonn decided to keep it on standby and bear the pain.

In February, she competed at the 2019 World Championship winning a bronze medal with braces on her knee. Vonn prioritized her obligations towards raising funds for her Lindsey Vonn Foundation. She did not want to let it down. Hence, she competed sidelining her pain. 

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However, Vonn had to face the repercussions of keeping her injury on standby. 

Vonn’s injury intensified after four months

Lindsey Vonn faced additional problems in her knee because of neglecting her underlying injury for four months. The skier had revealed in an Instagram post that the injury had done more damage than she expected. Vonn added that she had an additional meniscus tear and needed chondroplasty of her kneecap.

Thankfully, under Dr. Robert LaPrade’s supervision, Von underwent a series of successful surgeries, including LCL reconstruction, lateral meniscectomy, chondroplasty, and peroneal nerve neurolysis. 

Although Vonn recovered from her injuries, it prohibited her to continue her skiing career anymore. Hence, she retired on February 10 after the world championship.

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Post-retirement Vonn became a businesswoman and she invested in the ski equipment brand called YNIQ. Moreover, the skier became the best-selling author of her book Rise: My Story in 2022. Despite getting engaged in several ventures, the skier misses training on the slopes years after retirement.