Lindsey Vonn has joked that she is truly ‘bionic’ as she revealed the full extent of the damage to her left leg following extensive surgeries. 

The US skiing legend underwent yet another procedure on Wednesday – her fifth since she suffered a complex tibia fracture after crashing during the women’s downhill final at the Winter Olympics on February 8. 

The multiple procedures have left the 41-year-old with dozens of metal screws in her leg to surgically repair the fractured limb.

Vonn, who has been documenting her grueling recovery process online, shared the latest health update on Thursday, opening up about the immense pain of the injury. 

She later shared an X-ray of the surgically-repaired leg following the most recent operation. 

The scan showed the gruesome extent of the injury, with around 20 metal screws embedded in the bone to stabilize the break. 

Lindsey Vonn has undergone five surgeries since hurting her leg at the Winter Olympics

The 41-year-old shared an X-ray of her surgically-repaired leg to social media on Friday 

‘I’m bionic for real now,’ Vonn quipped, adding an emoji of a metal flexed arm. 

In a separate post, Vonn shared: ‘Made it through surgery… it took a bit more than [six] hours to complete. As you can see, it required a lot of plates and screws to put back together but Dr Hackett did an incredible job. Thank you Dr Viola for the surgery assist as well!!

‘With the extent of the trauma, I’ve been struggling a bit post op and have not yet been able to be discharged from the hospital just yet… almost there. Baby steps.

‘Will explain the injury and what it all means soon.’

Vonn’s race-torn body already contained titanium implants after she underwent a reconstruction in her right knee back in 2024. 

She launched her second career comeback shortly after the reconstruction, ending a five-year retirement, which reaped its reward in the form of victory at the 2025-2026 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in December. 

Vonn looked to add to that win with a gold at the Winter Olympics but disaster struck just one week before the Games began when she tore her ACL in a crash at Crans-Montana in Switzerland. 

Despite medical concerns, Vonn attempted to compete on the torn ligament at the Games but crashed just 13 seconds into her downhill final run. 

The former Olympic champion joked that she was ‘bionic for real now’ after the operation

The skiing legend suffered a broken left leg after she crashed in the women’s downhill  

As Vonn sped down the mountain, she caught a ski gate with her right side before she fell

The iconic skier lost control over the opening traverse after cutting the line too tight and clipping the gate and was spun around in the air.

Vonn was heard screaming after the crash as she was surrounded by medical personnel before she was strapped to a gurney and flown away by helicopter.

In an earlier update, she insisted that she had no regrets about competing at the Games, despite tearing her ACL in her left leg just days before the downhill event.

She claimed that the existing injury had no influence over what happened and remarkably vowed to ski again one day in the future.

Following her fourth operation last weekend, she was discharged from hospital on Sunday, allowing her to set off on her journey back to the United States the following day.

Back home in the US, Vonn underwent a fifth procedure on Wednesday, confirming the surgery was a success on Friday. 

‘Just a quick update… my last surgery went well,’ she wrote on X. ‘It took a little over 6 hours. I have been recovering from the surgery but pain has been hard to manage. Making slow progress but I hope I can be out of the hospital soon. Thank you all for the support.’

Vonn also suffered heartbreak away from the slopes when her beloved dog, Leo, died shortly after her horror Olympic crash.

Medical crews arrived to tend to Vonn after she remained down on the piste 

Vonn rescued Leo, who died after a battle with lung cancer, from an animal shelter back in 2014

‘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…’ she wrote alongside several photos of Leo.

Vonn then explained how her pup, who was recently diagnosed with lung cancer a year-and-a-half after surviving a battle with lymphoma, suffered a major health setback on the same day she crashed at the Olympics.

‘He was in pain and his body could no longer keep up with his strong mind,’ the Olympian continued.

‘As I [laid] 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.’

Vonn adopted Leo from an animal shelter back in 2014 as he recovered from a ‘bad knee’ after getting hit by a car, adding him to a pack that also included other dogs Lucy, who passed away in August of last year, and Chance.

‘My boy has been with me since my second ACL injury, when I needed him most,’ Vonn added. ‘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 cuddled me, always making me feel safe and loved. We have been through so much together in 13 years. 

‘It’s going to be a while 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. [And I take solace] 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’.