Story byLindsey Vonn at the 2026 Winter Olympics Tiziana FABI / AFP via GettyJulie MazziottaSun, February 8, 2026 at 2:41 PM UTC·2 min readNEED TO KNOWLindsey Vonn celebrated her journey to the Olympics in a post Feb. 7, hours before her crash in the women's downhill event"No matter what happens, I have already won," the 41-year-old wrote on InstagramVonn was hoping to make a comeback six years after retiring, and one week after tearing her ACL in the final World Cup race before the 2026 Milan Cortina GamesLindsey Vonn's race ended in heartbreak with a terrifying crash, but the night before, the five-time Olympian felt she "already won."Vonn, 41, celebrated making it to the 2026 Winter Olympics in an Instagram post on Saturday, Feb. 7, hours before she snagged her right ski pole on a marker and got twisted up, spinning through the air before crashing to the ground. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe 2010 Olympic gold medalist had to be airlifted off the mountain and was taken to a hospital in nearby Innsbruck, Austria. Vonn is no stranger, though, to injuries and comebacks — she has undergone dozens of surgeries over her vaunted skiing career, including two knee replacements, and is literally part-titanium, after having her right knee partially repaired with the metal."Just getting to these Olympics has been a journey, and one that some did not believe in from the start.