Lindsey Vonn’s miraculous restoration leaves followers surprised as she hops on a motorbike lower than a month after practically having her leg amputated
Lindsey Vonn has taken a major step forward in her recovery from injury by beginning to cycle just weeks after nearly losing her leg.
The US skiing legend, 41, made a miraculous comeback to reach this year’s Winter Olympics, only to suffer a torn ACL shortly before the Games.
Vonn decided to compete regardless but suffered a nasty broken leg after crashing during the women’s downhill final on February 8. The injury was so severe that, in late February, it emerged that her leg nearly required amputation.
After multiple surgeries, both in Italy and the United States, Vonn is finally home and on the road back to full health.
The 41-year-old, an Olympic and world champion, has been documenting every step of her brutal ordeal and on Friday she posted a clip from the gym.
‘Guys…. I’m biking!’ she wrote alongside a short video of her on an exercise bike. ‘Starting with 5 minutes… making progress one day at a time,’ Vonn added.
Lindsey Vonn also posted footage of the painful exercises she is having to go through
Vonn came close to losing her leg earlier after crashing at the Winter Olympics in Italy
Vonn also posted footage of what she ‘had to do’ in order to even hop on the bike. It showed her wincing in pain as a trainer bent and extended her leg.
She then pedaled slowly, with a wheelchair beside the bike, a sock pulled up towards her left knee and gauze applied to the side of her leg.
Vonn, 41, was dreaming of a second gold medal when she embarked on a remarkable return to the Olympics in Milan Cortina.
But, following her crash, she underwent four surgeries in Italy and another in the US. Most recently, Vonn reportedly had a six-hour procedure aimed at rebuilding the leg and covering the skin to avoid infection.
Vonn last month joked that she is now ‘bionic’ after the five surgeries left her with dozens of metal screws in her leg.
The 41-year-old’s body already contained titanium implants after she underwent a reconstruction in her right knee back in 2024.
Vonn launched her second career comeback shortly after the reconstruction, ending a five-year retirement. Remarkably, she triumphed at the opening women’s World Cup downhill of the season.
But then disaster struck a week before the Winter Olympics when she tore her ACL in a crash at Crans-Montana in Switzerland.
The skiing legend suffered a broken left leg after she crashed in the women’s downhill
The 41-year-old later fired back at the ‘haters’ who said she was ‘selfish’ to ski at the Games
Despite medical concerns, Vonn attempted to compete on the torn ligament at the Games, only to crash just 13 seconds into her downhill final run.
The US star was heard screaming after the crash as she was surrounded by medical personnel before being strapped to a gurney and flown away by helicopter.
The American claimed that the existing injury had no influence over what happened and remarkably vowed to ski again one day in the future.
Last week, meanwhile, Vonn paid an emotional tribute to her late mother on International Women’s Day, saying she is inspiring her through her recovery.
Vonn’s mom Lindy passed away in 2021 from ALS, a neurodegenerative disease. On top of battling ALS, Lindy also had a stroke giving birth to her daughter and walked with a minor limp in her left leg from then on.
Her death was part of the reason why Vonn attempted a comeback at this year’s Winter Olympics.
