American skating legend Lindsey Vonn announced that she has undergone a third surgery on her leg, following the horrific injury that ended her hopes of returning to the Winter Olympics at the age of 41.
Vonn participated in the competition despite suffering from a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, and she previously confirmed that this injury did not affect the accident she suffered during the final downhill race in Cortina.
The injury was a fracture of the tibia in her left leg as well.
The American heroine posted a picture of herself from her bed in an Italian hospital on her Instagram account, and commented: “Today I underwent my third surgery, and it was successful.”
She added: “Success today has a completely different meaning than it did a few days ago. I’m making progress, and even though it’s slow, I know I’ll be fine.”
She continued: “I am grateful to all the wonderful medical staff, to my friends and family who were by my side, and to all the feelings of love and support that I received from around the world.”
She concluded her message by congratulating her teammates, saying: “I also congratulate my teammates and all the Team USA athletes who inspire me and give me something to root for.”
During her attempt in the Olympic final, the veteran athlete went very quickly over a hill, then lost control and swerved towards one of the side plastic barriers on the side of the track, collided with it and fell hard to the ground.
Her right leg appeared to touch the ground first, then a thick cloud of snow rose around the American player, before Vonn rolled forward again, appearing to hit her shoulder hard on the ground, then finally coming to rest on the slope of the track.
Silence fell over the Cortina Circuit as medical teams arrived to rescue Vonn, who was later transported by helicopter from the mountain.
One of the paramedics who rushed to the scene of the accident revealed that she was suffering from severe pain and needed to be sedated before being transported to the hospital by air.
