VANITY FAIR

Didascalia

In her first interview since Milano Cortina, @lindseyvonn speaks at length about her horrifying crash, the five surgeries and paparazzi frenzies that followed, and whether this is really, truly the end of her career as a professional skier. The three-time Olympic medalist rose to the top of the downhill standings with the 2026 winter games on the horizon—and then, nine days before the Olympics began, she crashed halfway down the slope at Crans-Montana and tore her ACL. Everyone thought she was finished—except Vonn. She came back again. “I’m not crazy. I know what I can do and what I can’t do.” And there she was, at the top of the slope for her opening race, dreaming of the downhill title. 13 seconds later, it was over. She crashed into a gate and her skis failed to pop off. They twisted and warped her body like a corkscrew as she hurtled down the hill. When she finally skidded to a halt, the world heard her screams. They pierced the air with such force that they were picked up by the NBC broadcast. She’d shattered her tibia, fibula, and ankle. What came next was more harrowing still. “I don’t want people to hang on this crash and be remembered for that,” Vonn says. “What I did before the Olympics has never been done before. I was number one in the standings. No one remembers that I was winning.” Read more from Vanity Fair’s @ejtay at our link in bio. Photographer @quillemons Fashion Editor @deborahafshani Hair @laurapolko Makeup @karanmitchellmua Tailor @daxton.price Set Design @heymelissamae Producer @5towns @idr_farah

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