THE CR7 CONNECTION: INSIDE THE POWERFUL BOND BETWEEN CRISTIANO RONALDO AND LINDSEY VONN TODAY
A miracle recovery: Discover how Lindsey Vonn nearly lost her leg and the emotional message sent by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo reached out to Lindsey Vonn after she shared a raw update about her terrifying crash at the Winter Olympics, a crash that nearly cost her a leg. She’s 41 now. Just 13 seconds into the women’s downhill, she hit a gate and had to be airlifted to the hospital.
Stuck in an Italian hospital bed, Vonn went through four major surgeries, then flew back to the U.S. for a fifth. She just opened up about how close she came to losing her leg, saying Dr Tom Hackett is the reason she still has it. On Monday, she posted a video on Instagram, talking through the details and the surgery that saved her.
“I had a complex tibia fracture, fractured my fibula head, and everything was in pieces,” Vonn explained. “It was so bad because I got compartment syndrome. That’s when trauma causes so much bleeding in an area that the blood gets trapped and just crushes everything: muscles, nerves, and tendons. It all kind of dies. Dr Tom Hackett saved my leg from being amputated.
“He did a fasciotomy cut open on both sides of my leg to let it breathe. That’s what saved me. I always say things happen for a reason. If I hadn’t torn my ACL, which would have happened in this crash anyway, Tom wouldn’t have been there to save my leg. I’m really lucky. He spent six hours rebuilding it, and it went amazingly well. I ended up staying in the hospital longer than I wanted because of low haemoglobin from all the blood loss.
“I struggled a lot. The pain was out of control, and I needed a blood transfusion. That finally helped, and I started to turn the corner. Now I’m out. I’m in a wheelchair, pretty much stuck for a while, because I also broke my right ankle. I hope to move to crutches soon, maybe in a few weeks, and I’ll probably be on them for at least two months. But I’ll get to work on rehab, take it one step at a time, like always.”
Thousands of people flooded Vonn’s post with support, but one message stood out from Cristiano Ronaldo himself. He wrote, “Champions are defined by the moments they win and the moments they refuse to give up. Lindsey Vonn, the mountains you conquered were never bigger than the strength you carry. Keep fighting. Legends always rise.”
Now that she’s finally home after those brutal weeks and multiple surgeries in Italy and the U.S., Vonn says she’s focused on rehab: getting from the wheelchair to crutches, hopefully in a few weeks. Healing all the bones will take about a year. After that, she’ll decide if she wants another surgery to remove the metal and finally fix her ACL.
“It’s a long road, but I’ll get there. At least I’m out of the hospital. Love you all.”
DEXTER LAWRENCE TRADE REQUEST LOOMS OVER GIANTS' PREPARATIONS FOR PITTSBURGH NFL DRAFT
Dexter Lawrence wants out! Discover why the Giants are considering a trade before the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
The New York Giants might have no choice but to trade Dexter Lawrence before the NFL Draft. Negotiations on a new contract with the star defender have hit a wall, and Lawrence already asked for a trade earlier this month. He's skipped the team’s first offseason practices under new head coach John Harbaugh, which hasn’t helped matters.
At this point, the Giants have been talking with several teams about a possible deal for Lawrence. With the draft coming up in Pittsburgh next week, the pressure is on. They need picks, and right now they only hold two selections in the top 100. Harbaugh’s trying to breathe new life into the roster, but he needs more draft capital to do it.
News of the stalled negotiations came just hours after GM Joe Schoen sounded pretty upbeat, saying talks had been "productive". He explained that he, Harbaugh, and senior VP Dawn Aponte were all in regular contact with Lawrence’s reps, looking for some kind of resolution. Schoen insisted they want Dexter to stay, but he admitted it’s out of their hands now. They’ll just have to see what happens.
Lawrence, 28, signed a four-year, $90 million extension last year. Since then, defensive contracts have exploded, so his deal has dropped to just 11th among league defenders. On top of that, the team’s shaken up its roster, letting go of many Lawrence’s close teammates like Saquon Barkley.
Lawrence has been with the Giants since they drafted him 17th overall in 2019. He’s played his whole seven-year career in New York, earning three trips to the Pro Bowl and two second-team All-Pro honours. His career stats include 30.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and an interception. But last year wasn’t great; he only managed half a sack, eight QB hits, and a pass rush win rate of 8.3 per cent for a team that finished 4-13. It’s hard to tell if he’ll stay with the Giants much longer.
RORY MCILROY TARGETS SEVENTH MAJOR AT ARONIMINK FOLLOWING EMOTIONAL MASTERS DEFENSE
No long break for Rory McIlroy! After his 6th major win, McIlroy eyes the PGA Championship at Aronimink this May.
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Rory McIlroy isn’t following the same script after this Masters win. When reporters asked if he’d take another long break, as he did in 2025, Rory had a different plan in mind.
He’s not disappearing for months this time. Instead, he’s taking a couple of weeks off before jumping back into PGA Tour action. The next big event on the calendar is the PGA Championship, starting May 14 at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, but it sounds like Rory wants to get some tournament play before then.
He talked about his mindset shift after winning again at Augusta. “My schedule’s going to be different this year,” he said on April 13. “Last year, I thought winning the Grand Slam would be the destination. But actually, it’s just part of the ride. Now that I’ve won my sixth major, I feel great about my game and my body.
“I waited ages to win the Masters, and then I won two in a row. I definitely want to enjoy this. I’ll take a couple weeks off, but I don’t think I’ll hit that motivation lull I felt last year after the win.”
So, what comes next for Rory? He’s skipping the RBC Heritage this week, and his appearance at the Zurich Classic isn’t confirmed either.
Then, there’s Donald Trump, who might’ve let the cat out of the bag. After congratulating Rory on social media, Trump said he was looking forward to watching him at Doral during the Cadillac Championship on April 30. That’s not an official confirmation, but it’s a pretty solid clue that Rory’s next start could be there.
Now that he’s up to six majors and finally has back-to-back Masters titles, Rory’s thinking ahead. The next big stop? The PGA Championship, where he’ll chase number seven. But he’s not feeling satisfied just yet.
“I don’t want to put a hard number on it, but this is just part of the journey,” he said. “I’ve still got things I want to accomplish even as I make sure I enjoy the moment, too.”
