Just 13 seconds into her run at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, Lindsey Vonn’s life changed. The crash not only ended her Olympic campaign but also left her wondering whether she would ever walk again after developing acute compartment syndrome. But doctors fought to save her leg. Since then, Vonn has undergone eight surgeries and spent months rebuilding her body. Now, nearly five months after the accident, the 3x Olympic medalist has shared a huge step in her recovery.

Vonn posted a video on Instagram on July 8 showing her journey from the days following the crash to where she is today. It begins in the gym during the earliest stages of her rehab. Seated in a wheelchair, she carefully works through basic exercises while relearning how to move and regain strength by lifting weights.

Reflecting on the moment, Vonn wrote: “I knew one day I’d get here, just didn’t know how long it would take me…It took 5 months, but I’m finally here! Still a very long road ahead, but my strength is coming back (maybe more mentally than physically still, but that’s not a bad thing.”)

Vonn also uses a balance pole for support while standing, slowly putting weight on her injured leg, before taking on more challenging exercises as she continues her road to 100% recovery.

She is then seen using TRX suspension straps to perform assisted squats and other weight-bearing exercises. The video also shows her working through sit-to-stand exercises, another crucial step in her recovery that helped her regain both mobility and confidence. From there, Vonn progresses from supported squats to unassisted squats.

Another sequence features her performing a hip hinge movement with a resistance band that resembles a deadlift, helping strengthen her lower body. But perhaps the most striking part of the video comes at the end. After months of gradual progress, Vonn is shown performing barbell back squats. The transformation is hard to miss: six weeks in a wheelchair, 11 weeks on crutches, and now back under a barbell less than five months after the crash.

Interestingly, just two months ago, on May 4, Vonn walked the Met Gala red carpet in New York without crutches, a major milestone considering she had relied on crutches or a wheelchair for much of her recovery up until then. Overall, these last five months have been nothing short of miraculous.

Before the devastating crash at the Olympics, she had already ruptured her ACL a week earlier during a World Cup race in Switzerland. From that to breaking both her right and left ankles in the Olympic crash, suffering complex fractures, most believed the 41-year-old’s career was surely over. But that’s something she has chosen to fight against, at least for now.

Lindsey Vonn refuses to rule out a competitive comeback

Despite the progress Lindsey Vonn has made over the past five months, she has not committed to either returning to competition or retiring. Instead, the Olympic champion has repeatedly said that she is keeping an open mind about what comes next.

Vonn had already retired from ski racing once in 2019 as one of the most decorated athletes in the sport. She won gold at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, claimed 20 World Cup Crystal Globes, and recorded 84 World Cup victories. Still, she decided to return to the highest level in 2026 in search of further glory. Sadly, the incident cut her comeback short.

Reflecting on how her comeback came to an abrupt end at the Milan Cortina Olympics, Vonn admitted, “There’s definitely closure that’s missing.” She also acknowledged that it is too early to rule anything out. “I could have no kids and want to race again,” she added. “You just never know what’s going to happen.”

Vonn has to undergo one more major surgery to repair her torn ACL, a procedure that could require many more months of rehabilitation. For that reason, Vonn has resisted making any firm decisions about her future in the sport.

“I’m not in a position emotionally to make that decision at this point. Nothing would really happen until ’27-’28,” she explained. “Once I get my ACL fixed, then that’s another six months, so I have at least a year and a half ahead of me before I could really be back to 100%, even just training in the gym.”

For now, Vonn isn’t focused on medals or deciding whether she’ll race again. Instead, it’s all about taking one step at a time. Just five months after fearing she might never walk again, she’s back lifting weights and getting stronger every day. Whether she returns to competition or not, this latest recovery milestone shows just how far she has come.