Lindsey Vonn has hinted that she could defy the odds and race again, despite being urged by her father to retire from skiing after her horror crash at the Winter Olympics. The 41-year-old has undergone eight surgeries after suffering a complex left leg fracture during the women's downhill skiing race on February 8, an injury that nearly led to a leg amputation. She still requires at least one more operation to repair a torn ACL in the same knee.
Father's Concerns Dismissed
Following her terrifying injury, Vonn's father, Alan Kildow, stressed that this should mark the end of her legendary career, stating, 'There will be no more ski races for Lindsey Vonn, as long as I have anything to say about it.' However, Vonn has downplayed those comments and warned her father that pleading with her not to do something often has the opposite effect. During an appearance on CBS Mornings, she said, 'My dad jumped the gun. He knows by now that if you tell me not to do something, I'm gonna do it.' She added, 'I want to ski regardless of if I'm racing. I love the mountains, that's always been my passion.'
A History of Comebacks
Vonn has admitted she likely would have retired if she had completed a comeback season rivaling the best of her career. She ended a six-year absence from the sport largely to race at Cortina, Italy, one of her favorite courses and the venue for the Milan Cortina Games. The winner of three Olympic medals, including a downhill gold in 2010, crashed just 13 seconds into the race, suffering a complex tibia fracture that shocked a star-studded crowd and ended a season in which she led the World Cup downhill standings and hadn't finished worse than fourth in any race.
During an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, Vonn revealed she is not ready to make a decision on her future just yet. 'I just don't want to jump to any conclusions or even speculate on what I might do,' she said. 'I may retire. I may never race again and that would be completely fine, but I'm not in a position emotionally to make that decision at this point.'
Severity of the Injury
Vonn has returned from an assortment of injuries before—she has a titanium implant in her right knee—but this one was different. The pain was different. The eight surgeries are just one shy of the total she had for all the others combined. 'It's a much different injury in that way, again, like the severity of the injury and understanding that I could have lost my leg and how bad things were,' Vonn said. 'I can deal with a lot of pain, but this was so extreme. It's not even been in the universe of pain with this injury as what I've had before.'
