Lindsey Vonn gives health update after third surgery on broken leg

US skier Lindsey Vonn has confirmed she is making progress following a third successful surgery, after a downhill crash last Sunday abruptly ended her Olympic comeback hopes.

The 41-year-old Alpine legend shared images on Instagram on Wednesday, showing her in a hospital bed post-operation, surrounded by bouquets of flowers.

"I had my third surgery today and it was successful," she wrote. Vonn added a reflective note: "Success today has a completely different meaning than it did a few days ago. I'm making progress and while it is slow, I know I'll be OK."

She extended her gratitude to medical staff, friends, family, and well-wishers globally, also congratulating her teammates for "inspiring me and giving me something to cheer for".

The 2010 Olympic champion had previously revealed she sustained a complex leg fracture just 13 seconds into her race, necessitating multiple surgical procedures.

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Vonn had been aiming to become the oldest Alpine skiing medallist in Games history, having secured two World Cup downhill victories and three other podium finishes this year.

Following the incident, she was airlifted by helicopter to Ca' Foncello Hospital in Treviso.

Vonn almost didn’t make it to the start line at the Olympics after rupturing her ACL in training following a crash just days before the Winter Games began.

However, she opted to compete while wearing a knee brace and managed to do enough to make it into Sunday’s final.

Unfortunately for the American, her Olympic dream ended in seconds and she now faces a lengthy recovery period.

With Vonn now into her forties, there are some doubts over whether Vonn will ever race again.

Orthopaedic specialists have claimed that she could return to action within a year, though, suggesting that her career may not be over.

A timeframe of eight to eleven months was mooted, if all goes well with Vonn’s recovery.