This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Another bout of bad luck has struck Lindsey Vonn.
On Thursday, the two-time Olympic medalist alpine skier suffered a fractured humerus bone in her right arm following a crash in training at the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center on Copper Mountain, Colo. The 32-year-old American star announced on her Facebook account Friday afternoon that she underwent successful surgery Thursday evening in Vail, Colo.
"While I am beyond frustrated by this latest setback, at least my knees are OK and I will return to the slopes as soon as possible, as I always do!" Vonn wrote online. "Thank you for the continued love and support, it means so much to me."
Vonn ended her update with a hashtag: #NeverGiveUp.
According to the U.S. Ski Team, there is no immediate determination as to how long Vonn, a three-time Olympian, would be off her skis. The injury comes just weeks before the FIS World Cup downhill circuit begins in Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada.
Vonn, who routinely competes in all four alpine events, is considered one of the best downhill ski racers ever. The only American woman to ever win Olympic gold in downhill, Vonn has also won four overall World Cup titles. The St. Paul, Minn., native also has more World Cup victories (76) than any other female alpine skier in history.
Recent years, however, have been filled with trials. Vonn suffered three breaks in her knee joint in a crash in Andorra last march in a super-G event. In Aug. 2015, she fractured her left ankle in training in New Zealand. Vonn's biggest blow came in Feb. 2013, when a crash at the FIS World Championships in Austria left her with a torn ACL, MCL as well as a fracture in her tibial plateau.
Twice in the months leading up to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, Vonn re-injured her surgically-repaired right knee that eventually kept her out of what would've been her fourth-straight appearance at an Olympic Games.
Twitter: @chriskamrani