However, her father, Alan Kildow, might not be on board with any plans to continue skiing after her crash at the Olympics.
“She’s 41 years old, and this is the end of her career,” Kildow said. “There will be no more ski races for Lindsey Vonn, as long as I have anything to say about it.”
Vonn’s ascent up the rankings and qualification for the 2026 Winter Olympics captivated people across the globe. After she came out of retirement, she became world No. 1 in the downhill. However, during a Jan. 30 World Cup run in Crans-Montana ahead of the Olympics, Vonn tore her left ACL.
Still, she wanted to compete in the Winter Games.’I’m still here. I think I’m still able to fight. I think I’m still able to try. And I will try as long as I have the ability to; I will not go home regretting not trying,’ Vonn said. ‘I will do everything in my power to be in that starting gate.’
Fast-forward to the Olympics on Feb. 8, Vonn crashed again. She had to be airlifted off the slopes after she hooked the fourth gate with her right arm, and it spun her off-balance.
As Vonn was flown away from the slopes for medical evaluation, a finish line announcer said, “Putting it all on the line, Lindsey Vonn, the queen of Cortina, you will be missed … Everybody up on your feet, so she can hear you.’
Vonn later had surgery at Ca’Foncello Hospital in Treviso to stabilize a broken left leg, the hospital said in a statement. There haven’t been any other updates on Vonn following her surgery, and according to the Associated Press, Kildow declined to comment on any details surrounding her injuries.
“She’s a very strong individual,” Vonn’s father said. “She knows physical pain, and she understands the circumstances that she finds herself in. And she’s able to handle it. Better than I expected. She’s a very, very strong person. And so I think she’s handling it real well.”
Though Kildow did not share any updates on Vonn, he did acknowledge what his daughter has accomplished to this point.
‘She won 84 World Cup races. And not many people do that,” he said.