A defiant Lindsey Vonn has suggested that she will one day ski again, despite a horror crash at the Winter Olympics that sparked fears she could lose her left leg.
Vonn, 41, had a fourth procedure on her broken leg - a complex tibia fracture - on Saturday in hospital in Italy but told her followers on social media that it went well and that she can soon return to the United States.
In an emotional post, Vonn added that she had no regrets about competing in the event - she had torn her ACL in her left knee days before the crash, something she insists had no influence over what happened - and remarkably vowed to ski again one day in the future.
While she surely meant it in a recreational sense rather than trying once again to compete at the highest level, Vonn said: 'Please, don’t feel sad. The ride was worth the fall. When I close my eyes at night I don’t have regrets and the love I have for skiing remains.
'I am still looking forward to the moment when I can stand on the top of the mountain once more. And I will.'
She also explained that her fourth surgery on her leg had been a success, saying: 'Surgery went well today! Thankfully I will be able to finally go back to the US!
'Once I’m back I will give you more updates and info about my injury…. But until then, as I sit here in my bed reflecting, I have a few thoughts I’d like to share…'
Vonn then insisted that she didn't want people pitying her after suffering such a horrifying leg break.
'I have been reading a lot of messages and comments saying that what has happened to me makes them sad. Please, don’t be sad,' she said. 'Empathy, love and support I welcome with an open heart, but please not sadness or sympathy.
'I hope instead it gives you strength to keep fighting, because that is what I am doing and that is what I will continue to do. Always.
'When I think back on my crash, I didn’t stand in the starting gate unaware of the potential consequences. I knew what I was doing. I chose to take a risk. Every skier in that starting gate took the same risk.
'Because even if you are the strongest person in the world, the mountain always holds the cards.'
Vonn lost control last Sunday over the opening traverse after cutting the line too tight and was spun around in the air.
She was heard screaming out after the crash as she was surrounded by medical personnel before she was strapped to a gurney and flown away by a helicopter
On Saturday, Vonn shared a video of her final run before the crash that changed everything at the Games, and said: 'This was my last run before my Olympic race. A classic Cortina day. Thankful I have this memory.'
Her latest comments, while positive, may concern her father. Alan Kildow has made no secret of how much he wants his daughter to retire after watching her get badly hurt at these Games.
'She’s 41 years old and this is the end of her career,' he told Associated Press last week. 'There will be no more ski races for Lindsey Vonn, as long as I have anything to say about it.'
'She’s a very strong individual. 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.'
