Her father, Alan Kildow, was clear in stating that the 41-year-old athlete will not compete again: "As long as I have a say in it, there will be no more races for Lindsey; this is the end of her career."
Vonn had to be emergency evacuated by helicopter after fracturing her left leg while competing in Cortina. Currently, she is recovering in a hospital in Treviso after undergoing surgery and is in stable condition. Although Kildow avoided delving into specific injury details, he emphasized his daughter's incredible emotional strength. "She knows physical pain well and understands the circumstances she is in. She is handling it much better than I expected," commented her father, who has been by her side in the hospital.
The accident was witnessed by her family from the finish area, who experienced the dramatic impact with "horror and shock." It is relevant that Vonn participated in the race just nine days after tearing her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in another crash. However, Kildow insisted that the previous injury was not related to what happened. According to his account, Lindsey had been cleared by top-level doctors and had shown great performance in previous training sessions.
The skier's father attributed the incident to Vonn pushing the limits of her racing line, hitting a gate at the start of the descent, which left her out of control. This event marks the end of a historic comeback after six years of retirement, during which Vonn achieved podium finishes in seven out of eight World Cup races this season. Finally, it has been confirmed that Lindsey will not return to the Winter Olympics even to support her teammates.