Overview
- Vonn addressed more than 1,200 USC Annenberg graduates Friday, urging them to see failure as part of progress and saying the only real failure is not trying.
- Her message drew on a grueling stretch in which she tore an ACL a week before the 2026 Winter Olympics, then crashed 13 seconds into the Feb. 8 downhill and fractured her left tibia.
- Reports say she has undergone eight surgeries in the three months since the crash, with coverage noting doctors briefly weighed the risk of losing the leg.
- Still in rehab, she walked to the lectern with a stick rather than crutches and left open a return that reporting places no sooner than the 2027–28 season.
- The 41-year-old is among alpine skiing’s most decorated racers, with three Olympic medals, eight World Cup season titles, and four overall World Cup crowns.