Vonn reports successful ninth surgery after Olympic crash

Lindsey Vonn said she underwent her ninth surgery since a crash at the 2026 Winter Olympics, with doctors removing plates and screws from her left leg to make room for a future ACL reconstruction. She later reported that the operation went well and shared an image of the removed hardware.

Vonn described the procedure and its purpose in a social-media video. She said the hardware from earlier operations had prevented doctors from placing a new ACL in her left knee. The reconstruction has not been reported as completed.

She said her bones had healed enough for doctors to proceed with the ligament procedure, after she had waited about nine months. Vonn estimated that recovery would take another six to nine months after she receives the new ACL. That estimate is conditional on reconstruction taking place; the reports do not give an updated plan from her treating clinicians.

Vonn said she was nervous before the hardware-removal operation and planned to focus on getting through it. In a subsequent Instagram Story, she said the surgery went well and showed the hardware removed from her leg.

The crash occurred during the women’s downhill event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Vonn...