Lindsey Vonn’s dazzling appearance at Wednesday’s ESPY Awards in Los Angeles came with a dose of grim news for the 41-year-old skiing legend.
Following her gruesome crash during the 2026 Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Vonn admits her ankle is ‘still broken’ despite her intense rehab process.
‘It’s been a very slow process,’ Vonn told People.com on the red carpet. ‘It’s been five months since I’ve been able to actually go to the gym in a somewhat meaningful way. And walking is actually still really hard for me.’
Despite undergoing eight surgeries and months of rehab, Vonn somehow managed to hide any visible signs of her injuries with the help of her sparkling floor-length gown.
Vonn was competing on a torn ACL when she crashed at the Milan Cortina Games in February. As a result, she fractured her tibia and nearly needed to have her left leg amputated.
Lindsey Vonn’s dazzling appearance at Wednesday’s ESPY Awards in Los Angeles came with a dose of grim news for the 41-year-old skiing legend: Her ankle is still broken
Vonn has already undergone eight surgeries since her crash at the Winter Olympics this year
Vonn crashes during an alpine ski women’s downhill race while competing on a bad knee
Despite this, she has vowed to return to skiing.
A day earlier, Vonn was leading tributes to US alpine skier TJ Lanning, who died on July 2 in Park City, Utah. A cause of death has not been revealed.
Vonn, who knew Lanning for most of his life, shared an emotional tribute to him on Instagram, writing: ‘TJ (aka crowbar jr) – we’ve known each other since we were 12.
‘We shared a lot of memories on the mountain. I hope you are at peace my friend. We will all miss you. Until we meet again.’
Lanning was a promising skier whose own career was derailed by a sickening injury in Lake Louise, Canada in 2009.
After losing control, Lanning crashed and fractured his neck and sustained a major left knee injury. It ultimately forced him into retirement and from there, he became a coach with the United States team.
‘I hope you are at peace my friend. We will all miss you. Until we meet again,’ Vonn wrote
Lindsey Vonn has led the tributes after former US alpine skier TJ Lanning died at the age of 41
Upon announcing his death, the organization said Lanning’s ‘impact on our sport went far beyond his years of competition.’
Ski Racing Media said that Lanning’s racing career ‘was marked by promise, pain, persistence and impact.’
The outlet added: ‘He brought the sport moments of genuine excitement and, later, gave back through coaching. His death at such a young age is a profound loss for the American ski racing community.’
