Milan, Apr. 30 (LaPresse/AP) – “I don’t want to draw hasty conclusions or speculate about what I might do. I could retire. I might never race again and that would be fine, but at the moment I am not emotionally ready to make such a decision.” Lindsey Vonn is still recovering physically and emotionally from a terrifying crash at the Winter Olympics. For now, difficult decisions about the future can wait. The American champion has undergone eight surgeries following a complex fracture to her left leg—which nearly led to amputation—suffered during the women’s downhill race on February 8. At least one more surgery will be needed to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee. So if the 41-year-old does return to competition—and she is not yet ready to decide—her comeback would not be expected for at least a year and a half, Vonn told The Associated Press in an interview. In the past, Vonn has already recovered from several injuries and has a titanium implant in her right knee. “This is a very different injury, especially in terms of severity and the awareness that I could have lost my leg and how serious the situation was,” she said. “I can tolerate a lot of pain, but this was truly extreme. I have never experienced pain comparable to this kind of injury,” she confirmed. Vonn is making progress, both in and out of the gym, although not as quickly as she would like. She has moved from a wheelchair to crutches—of which she is tired—and next week she will be able to start walking short distances.
Lindsey Vonn: “I haven’t yet decided whether to retire or continue”
Milan, Apr. 30 (LaPresse/AP) – “I don’t want to draw hasty conclusions or speculate about what I might do. I could retire. I might never race again and that would be fine, but at the moment I am not emotionally ready to make such a decision.” Lindsey Vonn is still recovering physically and emotionally from a terrifying crash at the Winter Olympics. For now, difficult decisions about the future can wait. The American champion has undergone eight surgeries following a complex fracture to her left leg—which nearly led to amputation—suffered during the women’s downhill race on February 8. At least one more surgery will be needed to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee. So if the 41-year-old does return to competition—and she is not yet ready to decide—her comeback would not be expected for at least a year and a half, Vonn told The Associated Press in an interview. In the past, Vonn has already recovered from several injuries and has a titanium implant in her right knee. “This is a very different injury, especially in terms of severity and the awareness that I could have lost my leg and how serious the situation was,” she said. “I can tolerate a lot of pain, but this was truly extreme. I have never experienced pain comparable to this kind of injury,” she confirmed. Vonn is making progress, both in and out of the gym, although not as quickly as she would like. She has moved from a wheelchair to crutches—of which she is tired—and next week she will be able to start walking short distances.
