It was an unwanted ending to the three-time Olympian’s otherwise remarkable comeback to the sport, which was built with the Games in mind.

“I don’t like to close the door on anything, because you just never know what’s going to happen,” Vonn said to Vanity Fair, in her first interview since the accident.

“I really feel like that was a horrible last run to end my career on,” she continued. “I only made it 13 seconds. But they were a really good 13 seconds.”

Vonn, an 84-time World Cup winner, had retired from skiing in 2019 due to chronic injuries before a game-changing knee surgery in 2024 enabled her return to competitive action.

Her comeback trail picked up momentum in December 2025 when she won the downhill at St. Moritz.

By late January, Vonn was first in the women’s downhill standings on the FIS World Cup circuit, and despite rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament in Crans-Montana nine days out from the Olympic speed race, she was satisfied her medal dreams could still be realised – only until her crash.

Reflecting on the injury that nearly saw her lose her leg, Vonn regretted how the latest chapter in her story concluded, and hoped, with time, people might be able to put it into its wider context.

“I don’t want people to hang on this crash and be remembered for that,” the skier said.

“What I did before the Olympics has never been done before. I was number one in the standings. No one remembers that I was winning.”