which leg did lindsey vonn break
Lindsey Vonn's most infamous leg injury was to her right leg. In 2013, during a super-G crash at the World Championships in Schladming, Austria, she suffered a devastating fall after losing balance on a jump landing.
The 2013 Right Leg Break
Vonn tore her right knee's anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL), plus a lateral tibial plateau fracture in her lower right leg. She received on-site treatment for 12 minutes before helicopter evacuation to a hospital, followed by surgery. This sidelined her for nearly a year , derailing her Olympic prep but fueling her legendary comeback spirit.
Recent 2026 Left Leg Drama
Fast-forward to this week (Feb 2026): In a pre-Olympics downhill crash in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, the 41-year-old comeback queen fractured her left leg at high speed (~60mph). Her left leg—already compromised with no functioning ACL—gave way after overshooting a gate. Airlifted to Ca’ Foncello Hospital in Treviso, she underwent orthopedic surgery that afternoon to stabilize the break; she's now stable in ICU observation, life not in danger per reports.
Injury Timeline| Leg Affected| Key Details| Recovery Impact
---|---|---|---
2013 Worlds Crash 1| Right| ACL/MCL tears + tibial fracture;
helicopter to surgery| Missed 2014 Olympics bulk; returned stronger
2019 Training Crash 5| Left| LCL tear + meniscus/peroneal damage;
post-retirement surgery| Contributed to initial retirement
Jan 2026 Pre-Olympics 4| Left knee (limping, no break confirmed)|
Minor crash; "Olympic dream not over"| Kept racing
Feb 2026 Cortina Crash 79| Left (fracture)| High-speed fall; surgery
same day| Stable, Olympics in question 7
Why It Matters Now
Vonn's right leg defined her 2013 agony—a fracture that tested her resilience amid her Tiger Woods-era fame. But her left leg steals today's headlines as this latest break threatens her epic 2026 Cortina Olympics return after 2024 knee surgery revived her ("body saying yes again"). Fans on Reddit buzz with support: "Surgery stabilized her left leg fracture post-Cortina crash." Her story? Pure grit—from Minnesota kid to four-time World Cup champ battling a body that's "an ever-evolving adventure."
TL;DR: Right leg in 2013 (famous break); left leg just now (2026 fresh fracture post-surgery). She's stable—rooting for her Olympic shot! Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.