Lindsey Vonn’s father is adamant that his daughter will not return to skiing following her severe leg injury at the Winter Olympics, if he has any influence over the decision.
The 41-year-old American skiing legend defied expectations simply by participating in the women’s downhill event last Sunday. This remarkable feat came just days after she suffered a ruptured left ACL during a training accident prior to the Olympics.
Despite finishing third in her final practice run, Vonn decided to compete in Cortina, even with her knee in a compromised state. Unfortunately, this decision led to dire consequences on race day.
Only 13 seconds into her run, Vonn lost her footing after navigating the second turn, resulting in a severe crash that left her with a broken leg.
Following the accident, the former Olympic champion underwent surgery to stabilize her leg after being airlifted to the hospital. Her father, Alan Kildow, believes this catastrophic injury should signal the conclusion of her illustrious career.
“She’s 41 years old and this is the end of her career,” Kildow shared with The Associated Press. “There will be no more ski races for Lindsey Vonn, as long as I have anything to say about it.”
Lindsey Vonn’s father insists his daughter will never ski again if he has any say in the matter
The American skiing icon suffered a broken leg after a horror crash at the Winter Olympics
Kildow and the rest of Vonn’s family – a brother and two sisters – have been with her while she is being treated at a hospital in Treviso following her fall and helicopter evacuation from the course in Cortina.
Late on Sunday the hospital released a statement saying Vonn had undergone surgery on her left leg, and the U.S. Ski Team said she was in stable condition. There have been no updates since.
Kildow declined to comment on details of Vonn’s injuries, but he did address how she was doing emotionally.
‘She’s a very strong individual,’ he said. ‘She knows physical pain and she understands the circumstances that she finds herself in. And she’s able to handle it. Better than I expected. She’s a very, very strong person. And so I think she’s handling it real well.’
Kildow, a former skier himself who taught his daughter to race, said he slept in Vonn’s hospital room overnight.
‘She has somebody with her – or multiple people with her – at all times,’ Vonn’s father added. ‘We’ll have people here as long as she’s here.’
Kildow and the rest of Vonn’s family watched the crash from the finish area with all of the other spectators.
‘First, the shock and the horror of the whole thing, seeing a crash like that,’ he said of what he felt watching the scene unfold. ‘It can be dramatic and traumatic. You’re just horrified at what those kinds of impacts have.
Vonn was airlifted to hospital before undergoing surgery to stabilize her leg after the crash
She defied the odds by simply competing after rupturing her ACL in a training run crash
Vonn’s father Alan Kildow believes the Olympic crash should now mark the end of her career
‘You can go into a shock – an emotional psychological shock. Because it’s difficult to just accept what’s happened. But she’s well cared for. And the USOC and the U.S. Ski Team have a very, very top-notch doctor with her and she is being very well cared for here in Italy.’
Vonn, who holds the record of 12 World Cup victories in Cortina, returned to the circuit last season after nearly six years of retirement and after a partial titanium replacement surgery in her right knee. She won two downhills and finished on the podium in seven of the eight World Cup races that she finished this season – and came in fourth in the other one.
Her win total in World Cup events is second on the all-time women’s list behind teammate Mikaela Shiffrin (108).
Vonn will not return to the Olympics to cheer on teammates or for anything else, Kildow said.
‘No, she’s not in that kind of situation,’ he admitted. ‘She will be going home at an appropriate point in time.’
Anouk Patty, chief of sport for US Ski and Snowboard, said: ‘She’ll be okay, but it’s going to be a bit of a process. This sport’s brutal, and people need to remember when they’re watching that these athletes are throwing themselves down a mountain and going really, really fast.’
