For now, the skier has undergone eight surgeries after suffering a complex fracture in his left leg, which It almost cost him amputation. He will now need at least one more operation to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee.
“I just don’t want to jump to conclusions or speculate about what he might do,” Vonn said in an interview on CBS. “I may retire. I may never compete again and that would be perfectly fine, but emotionally I’m not in a position to make that decision right now.”
I may never compete again and that would be perfectly fine, but emotionally I am not in a position to make that decision at this time.
Vonn had already recovered from various injuries before — she has a titanium implant in her right knee —but claims that this one was different. “It’s a very different injury in that sense, again, because of the severity and understanding that he could have lost his leg,” Vonn said. “I can take a lot of pain, but this was extreme. It’s not even close to the level of pain I’ve felt with this injury compared to previous ones.”
I can handle a lot of pain, but this was extreme. It’s not even close to the level of pain I’ve felt with this injury compared to previous ones.
The skier continues to evolve and no longer uses a wheelchair or barely any crutches. “Like I said, I’m still in survival mode; I just want to get through this phase and be able to evaluate where I am in my life,” declared Vonn, whose 84 World Cup victories rank her second among women, trailing only her American teammate Mikaela Shiffrin (110). “And I want to take stock of what I have achieved and what could be, and make decisions in a much better position than I am now.”
