Lindsey Vonn Shares Tragic Update About Pet Amid Her Recovery Journey

The Olympian revealed the sad news on Instagram following her return to the U.S. this week.
Lindsey Vonn
Lindsey Vonn / Daniel Kopatsch/VOIGT/GettyImages

Earlier today, Wednesday, Feb. 18, Lindsey Vonn shared that her dog, Leo, has passed away amid her injury recovery journey.

The beginning of this year has been a difficult one for the professional skier. After retiring from the sport in 2019, the athlete made a triumphant return to the slopes in late 2025, securing multiple podium placements and breaking records in the lead-up to the 2026 Milan Cortina Games. However, shortly before the Games began, the athlete crashed during the Crans-Montana downhill on Friday, Jan. 30, resulting in a torn ACL.

Following discussions with her medical team, Vonn was cleared to compete. Then, on Sunday, Feb. 8, she crashed 13 seconds into her downhill race. She clarified that her “ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with [the] crash whatsoever,” going on to tell fans she “sustained a complex tibia fracture that is currently stable but will require multiple surgeries to fix properly.”

Vonn has since undergone three surgeries, reporting on social media to let fans know the procedures have been successful and she’s on her healing journey. Yesterday, she revealed via a video posted to Instagram that she was officially released from the medical facility in Italy to return home to the U.S., writing, “My injury was a lot more severe than just a broken leg. I’m still wrapping my head around it, what it means and the road ahead…”

Today, Vonn returned to the social media platform to share some personal bad news from home. Amid all of this, her dog, Leo, passed away.

Sharing a collection of photos of herself and Leo, the Olympian penned in the caption, “Leo Vonn ✝️🤍 2013-2/9/2026 Leo has passed away and joined Lucy and Bear up in heaven 🪽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 later added, “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.”

Many fans and friends of the athlete were quick to rally around her, sharing their love and support in the comments.

“I‘m so sorry for your loss ❤️” Coco Gauff wrote.

“I’m so sorry ❤️,” Olivia Munn added.

“Wow. When it rains, it absolutely freaking pours. 😢,” Alise Willoughby penned. “I am so sorry to hear about Leo and the weight you’re carrying right now. Time and your incredible strength will help heal the hurt of these wounds. Thinking of you, friend.❤️”


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Allie Hayes
ALLIE HAYES

Allie Hayes is an experienced pop culture staff writer and editor specializing in movies, TV and celebrity news. Before joining the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit team as a Breaking/Trending News Editor, she worked at several outlets including BuzzFeed, The Daily Dot, and Newsweek. When she’s not writing for work (or writing for fun), you’ll find her curled up on the couch reading yet another romance novel, obsessively watching pro wrestling with her friends, or taking blurry photos of her two adorable cats.