Lindsey Vonn Slams People 'Telling' Her to Decide Between Retirement or Returning to Skiing After Crash: 'I'm Not Ready'

Anna Lazarus CaplanMon, March 16, 2026 at 3:23 PM UTC

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Lindsey VonnCredit: Daniel Kopatsch/VOIGT/Getty; Screengrab by IOC via Getty -

Lindsey Vonn is clapping back in the comments

The three-time Olympic medalist shared her thoughts about her future in a post on X

Five weeks after suffering a complex tibia fracture at the Winter Olympics in the women's downhill, Vonn says her decision is only hers to make

Lindsey Vonn is weighing in on those who are pressuring her to make a decision about her future.

Exactly five weeks after crashing in the women’s downhill at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, Vonn shared her current perspective in a post on X, amid her recovery from a complex tibia fracture (and a broken right ankle).

“No, I’m not ready to discuss my future in skiing,” Vonn, 41, wrote in a post on Sunday, March 15. “My focus has been on recovering from my injury and getting back to normal life. I was already retired for 6 years and have an amazing life outside of skiing. It was incredible to be #1 in the world again at 41 years old and set new records in my sport, but at my age, I’m the only one that will decide my future.”

In the comments, Vonn clapped back at several users who questioned her choice to compete in the Games after rupturing her ACL less than two weeks earlier — and one commenter told her to “calm down.”

“I’m very calm, just making a statement is all,” she wrote. “It’s a little hard to deal with thousands of people telling you what to do with your life but I know who and what I am. Sometimes I use my voice to express opinions, and everyone has the right to do the same."

Lindsey VonnCredit: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty

In the weeks since her crash, the three-time Olympic medalist has offered an unfiltered look at her recovery from the accident in which her leg was nearly amputated.

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From friends and family cheering her up in an Italian hospital to flying back to the States from Italy to zipping around her home on a scooter, the athlete has seemingly not wasted time getting back to her pre-Olympics form.

On Friday, March 13, Vonn shared on social media a video of herself atop a stationary bike.

"Guys…. I’m biking!! Starting with 5 minutes… making progress one day at a time 💪🏻," she captioned the clip.

Now, as she mulls her future endeavors — and in spite of her father Alan Kildow’s opinion that “there will be no more ski races” in her future — Vonn has made clear she’s making her decision on her own.

“I don’t need anyone’s permission to do what makes me happy,” she concluded her post on Sunday. “Maybe that means racing again, maybe that doesn’t. Only time will tell. Please stop telling me what I should or should not do. I’ll let you know when I decide.”

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Source: “AOL Sports”