Lindsey Vonn has endured a nightmare few weeks in Milan and Cortina, but the alpine skiing star has been hit with a fresh heartbreak

Lindsey Vonn has endured another heartbreak (Image: Daniel Kopatsch/VOIGT, Getty Images)
Lindsey Vonn has announced the heartbreaking death of her dog just hours after arriving back in  the United States from the Winter Olympics. Vonn, 41, is recovering from her horrific accident in the women’s downhill competition. 

She remained in an Italian hospital for a week undergoing treatment for a complex leg break before making the journey back to the US on Tuesday. Her trip home was anything but smooth, with Vonn posting a video on social media explaining the complications she encountered. Things are not getting easier as she announced her dog Leo had passed away on the day of her crash in Cortina.

On Wednesday morning, she disclosed her dog, Leo, had died – on the very same day she sustained her crash on February 9. “Leo Vonn 2013-2/9/2026 – Leo has passed away and joined Lucy and Bear up in heaven,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “This has been an incredibly hard few days. Probably the hardest of my life. I still have not come to terms that he is gone… The day I crashed, so did Leo.

“He had been recently diagnosed with lung cancer (he survived lymphoma a year and a half ago) but now his heart was failing him. He was in pain and his body could no longer keep up with his strong mind. As I layed in my hospital bed the day after my crash, we said goodbye to my big boy.

“I had lost so much that meant something to me in such a short amount of time. I can’t believe it. My boy has been with me since my second ACL injury, when I needed him most. He held me on the sofa as I watched the Sochi Olympics. He lifted me up when I was down. He laid by me, and cuddle me, always making me feel safe and loved. We have been through so much together in 13 years.

“It’s going to be a whilst before I emotionally process things but I know he will always be with me. I know he’s up there with Lucy and Bear and my mom and grandparents and so many people I have lost in the past few years.

Lindsey Vonn shared this tear-jerking post on social media (Image: Instagram/lindseyvonn)

“Andi takes splice knowing he’s not in pain anymore. There will never be another Leo. He will always be my first love. Heading in for more surgery today. Will be thinking of him when I close my eyes. I will love you forever my big boy.”

She subsequently shared the post on her Instagram Stories with the message: “On the same day I crashed, my boy did too. I will always love you, Leo,” followed by another tribute to one of her three dogs who had also died.

Upon her return home, Vonn will continue receiving hospital treatment, having already had four operations. The American is facing as much as 11 months of rehabilitation before she could even contemplate returning to competitive skiing, though her father, Alan Kildow, has suggested racing again seems improbable.

“She’s 41-years-old and this is the end of her career,” Kildow told The Associated Press on February 9. “There will be no more ski races for Lindsey Vonn, as long as I have anything to say about it.”