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Lindsey Vonn<\/strong><\/a> is addressing the haters\u2026 again.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t all for nothing\u2026 it wasn\u2019t a dream\u2026 although sitting in this hospital bed it seems far away now\u2026,\u201d Vonn, 41, wrote via Instagram<\/a> on Saturday, February 21, defending her decision to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics despite tearing her ACL nine days earlier.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I did it. I came back. I won,\u201d she continued in the caption, shared alongside a highlight video of her recent races. \u201cI showed up and did what most thought was impossible at my age with a partial knee replacement. These memories I\u2019ll have forever and I\u2019m grateful for every one of them. Every moment was amazing. Every moment was worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n After tearing her ACL in a World Cup competition on January 30, Vonn decided to compete in the Olympics<\/a> despite the athlete publicly confirming the ligament was \u201c100 percent gone.\u201d<\/p>\n Just 13 seconds into her first run of the Games on February 8, she broke her left tibia<\/a> after clipping a flag and crashing out. She was airlifted off the course in Cortina d\u2019Ampezzo, Italy, and transported to a nearby hospital where she underwent four surgeries.<\/p>\n She returned to the United States on Tuesday, February 17, and underwent several additional surgeries.<\/p>\n Critics jumped on Vonn after the second injury, with some claiming she should not have competed in the Olympics after tearing her ACL and, instead, let someone else compete in her spot.<\/p>\n Vonn is having none of that, listing out her achievements in Saturday\u2019s Instagram post.<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing that stung was when people said I was selfish and should give my Olympic spot to someone else,\u201d she said in the post. \u201cSo\u2026 I just wanted to recap my season for all the haters out there that don\u2019t understand what it means to earn your spot, and on a more positive note, to just reflect\u2026 #1 in the downhill standings; 3rd in sg standings; 2x Downhill wins; On every downhill podium all season; 7\/8 podiums overall (only one 4th place).\u201d<\/p>\n She continued, \u201cIt\u2019s not impossible until it\u2019s done. I didn\u2019t reach my ultimate goal\u2026. But I still did a lot. Thank you to those who believed! \u2764\ufe0f\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffb #BELV.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n Lindsey Vonn<\/span> Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n