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The world has seen the last of Lindsey Vonn on the racing slopes, as long as her father has a say.

Vonn’s father, Alan Kildow, told the Associated Press that the decorated U.S. skier will no longer race if he has any influence over what will be her decision and that she will not be returning to the Milan Cortina Games after breaking her left leg in a major crash during the women’s downhill on Sunday.

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

He also doesn’t expect her to be back in the Olympic Village to cheer on her fellow U.S. skiers.

“No, she’s not that in kind of situation,” Kildow said. “She will be going home at an appropriate point in time.”

Kildow, along with Vonn’s brother and two sisters, has been with the three-time Olympian since she has been receiving treatment at a hospital in Treviso. After her crash 13 seconds into the Olympic race, Vonn was airlifted off the course, putting a stop to the competition for about 20 minutes.


  Lindsey Vonn clips a gate, which caused her to crash during the women’s downhill race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. AP Lindsey Vonn clips a gate, which caused her to crash during the women’s downhill race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. AP

Vonn was flown to Treviso where she has since undergone two surgeries to stabilize her left leg. It was initially thought that Vonn would only need one stint under the knife, yet another was needed to prevent swelling and maintain blood flow.

The 41-year-old was later moved to intensive care for “extra privacy” during this time.

Kildow declined to comment to the outlet on details of Vonn’s injuries.

“She’s a very strong individual,” Kildow said. “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.”

Kildow, who is a former ski racer, said he slept in his daughter’s hospital room with her overnight.

“She has somebody with her — or multiple people with her — at all times,” he said. “We’ll have people here as long as she’s here.”

Vonn’s family was in attendance at the race on Sunday in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, which was won by American Breezy Johnson for the first gold medal won by Team USA in the Milan Games.


  Lindsey Vonn, right, poses for photographs with her father Alan Kildow at the end of an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill race, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Jan. 16, 2015. AP Lindsey Vonn, right, poses for photographs with her father Alan Kildow at the end of an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill race, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Jan. 16, 2015. AP

They watched from the finish area and were among the silent crowd as Vonn was being treated by trainers after her horrific crash that came after her right arm got caught on a gate.

“First, the shock and the horror of the whole thing, seeing a crash like that,” Kildow said of the scene. “It can be dramatic and traumatic. You’re just horrified at what those kinds of impacts have. You can go into a shock — an emotional psychological shock. Because it’s difficult to just accept what’s happened. But she’s well cared for. … And the USOC and the U.S. Ski Team have a very, very top-notch doctor with her and she is being very well cared for here in Italy.”

It was a miracle Vonn was even in the start gate on Sunday.

More than a week before the scheduled race, she completely ruptured her ACL in her left knee after a fall during a tune-up race in Switzerland.

During a press conference, Vonn said her Olympic dream wasn’t over and that she has endured injuries far worse throughout her career, including the chronic knee injuries that forced her to retire the first time in 2019.

Kildow said the crash had “nothing” to do with the crash and had more to do Vonn pushing her limits, which caused her to be on a gate early and clip it.


  Lindsey Vonn crashes into a gate during the alpine ski women’s downhill event at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 8, 2026. AP Lindsey Vonn crashes into a gate during the alpine ski women’s downhill event at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 8, 2026. AP

“There are times sometimes in any race, but especially in downhill, where you have to take a little speed off,” he said. “You can give yourself a little bit more leeway on the line so you don’t put yourself in a questionable position.”

Vonn looked poised for greatness in Cortina, where she holds 12 World Cup titles and wanted to add a fourth Olympic medal. Since her return from retirement, she won two downhill races and finished on the podium in seven of the eight World Cup races this season. The other? She came in fourth.

“She won 84 World Cup races. And not many people do that,” Kildow said. “And there’s a hell of a lot of the difference between a speed race, a downhill especially, and a slalom.”

Her all-time win total in World Cup events only comes second to Mikaela Shiffrin (108).

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