Lindsey Vonn had to bid farewell to a loved one shortly after her 2026 Winter Olympics journey came to a shocking end.
Vonn suffered a torn ACL one week before this year’s Games began. Then, while competing in the women’s downhill final of the Olympics on February 8, Vonn experienced a devastating crash that resulted in a broken leg. In a Wednesday, February 18, Instagram post, Vonn revealed that her dog Leo’s health took a turn for the worse that same day, and he died on February 9.
“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 wrote. “The day I crashed, so did Leo. He had been recently diagnosed with lung cancer (he survived lymphoma a year and a half ago) but now his heart was failing him. He was in pain and his body could no longer keep up with his strong mind.”
Vonn shared that she had to say goodbye to Leo from her hospital bed in Italy. “I had lost so much that meant something to me in such a short amount of time. I can’t believe it,” she told her followers. “My boy has been with me since my second ACL injury, when I needed him most. He held me on the sofa as I watched the Sochi Olympics. He lifted me up when I was down. He layed by me, and cuddle me, always making me feel safe and loved. We have been through so much together in 13 years.”
Vonn said she knows Leo is now “up there” with her late dogs Lucy and Bear, her mother, her grandparents, and “so many people I have lost in the past few years,” adding that she “takes solace knowing he’s not in pain anymore.”
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She concluded her update by writing, “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. I will love you forever my big boy 
Vonn’s post featured several photos and videos of herself and Leo over the years, from snuggling up in matching pajamas to playing in the snow, to Leo lying on the couch with Vonn as she recovered from an injury.
Celebrities and fans offered their condolences in the post’s comments. “So very sorry to read this. Pets are family. Thinking of you.
“Sending so much love to you — your guardian angels forever 
On her Instagram Story, Vonn shared a sweet video of Leo and her other dogs chasing her during training. “They are all up there in heaven playing,” she captioned the clip. She also shared a group photo with her three late pups, writing, “My family that’s up in heaven
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