Lindsey Vonn faces two more surgeries, one in Italy, one in the US

(Patria) - American skier Lindsey Vonn (41) faces two more surgeries after a severe leg fracture following a crash in the downhill event at the Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

The American is being treated in a hospital in Treviso after crashing 13 seconds after the start in Sunday's race.

The 2010 downhill gold medalist, and 2018 bronze medalist, hit a gate with her shoulder, losing control, after which she flew into the air and crashed at high speed. It could be heard on television that she was screaming in pain. Several doctors and officials quickly surrounded her before a helicopter arrived and took her on a stretcher to the hospital. Vonn competed despite recently tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee.

In a video message posted from her hospital bed on Friday, Vonn thanked everyone for their messages and gifts.

"Hi everyone, I just wanted to give you a little update and thank you all for sending me flowers and letters. It's been absolutely amazing and really helped me a lot. It's been a pretty tough few days in the hospital. I'm finally feeling like myself. I have a long, long road ahead of me," said the 41-year-old American.

On Sunday, she underwent her first surgery in Treviso for a complex tibia fracture, followed by two more in the following days.

"I'm going to have another surgery tomorrow, and hopefully, it will go well, and then I'll potentially be able to leave and go home, after which I'll need another surgery. I still don't know exactly what that entails until I get better scans, but that's roughly where I am right now," she added, reports Hina.