The father of Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn is speaking out following her terrifying downhill crash at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy that left her badly injured.
In an interview with The Associated Press published Feb. 9, Alan Kildow expressed concern for his daughter’s health and safety, noting the risks of racing outweigh any competitive ambitions.
“She’s 41 years old and this is the end of her career,” Kildow told the outlet. “There will be no more ski races for Lindsey Vonn, as long as I have anything to say about it.”
Vonn, a four-time overall World Cup champion, broke her left leg over the weekend while competing during the alpine ski women’s downhill event at the Milan Cortina Games.
She was airlifted off the mountain, then taken to a hospital in the city of Treviso. Vonn is being treated by top medical professionals with the U.S. Olympic Committee and ski team.
“She’s a very strong individual,” Kildow 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.”
On Jan. 30, Vonn ruptured her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a World Cup run in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, and decided to move forward and compete in the Olympic race despite the injury.
“What happened to her had nothing to do with the ACL issue on her left leg. Nothing,” Kildow said. “She had demonstrated that she was able to function at a very high level with the two downhill training runs. … And she had been cleared by high level physicians to ski.”
In response to the latest incident, Vonn said she sustained a complex tibia fracture, and while she is currently in stable condition, she will require multiple surgeries.
“Yesterday my Olympic dream did not finish the way I dreamt it would,” wrote Vonn on Instagram. “I was simply 5 inches too tight on my line when my right arm hooked inside of the gate, twisting me and resulted in my crash.
“While yesterday did not end the way I had hoped, and despite the intense physical pain it caused, I have no regrets.
“I hope if you take away anything from my journey, it’s that you all have the courage to dare greatly,” she continued. “Life is too short not to take chances on yourself. Because the only failure in life is not trying.”
Vonn holds the record of 12 World Cup victories in Cortina, Italy, and has won three Olympic medals during her alpine skiing career, including the downhill gold at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.
