Lindsey Vonn Has Ninth Surgery to Remove Hardware and Reconstruct ACL

This procedure restarts a six- to nine-month recovery clock and leaves her decision about returning to competition unresolved.

Overview

Vonn underwent her ninth operation on Monday, Nov. 9, to remove plates and screws from her left leg and to attempt an ACL reconstruction.
Her leg injuries began with a complete ACL rupture during a World Cup race a week before the Games and worsened when she crashed in the Olympic downhill on Feb. 8, producing a complex tibial plateau fracture and a broken right ankle.
Surgeons staged multiple earlier procedures — including four operations in Italy, later surgeries in the U.S., and a fasciotomy to treat compartment syndrome — to stabilize her leg before attempting the ACL repair.
Her team says bone has healed enough to try reconstruction but the operation could reveal additional problems, the removed hardware leaves screw holes that must fill in, and the standard recovery timeline is six to nine months.
Vonn used a pre-surgery Instagram video to thank supporters and said she will wait through recovery before deciding whether to return to elite racing, making her long-term competitive future uncertain and tying next steps to rehab milestones and surgeon assessments.