UR MAG

Vonn wasairlifted off the mountainand taken to a hospital after crashing 13 seconds into her Olympic downhill run on Sunday, Feb. 8. Vonn revealed on Feb. 9 that she hasa complex fracture in her tibiathat will require multiple surgeries. She shared the updated in anInstagram post, saying that she knew the risks involved.

This nine days after another crash left Vonn witha torn ACL, bone bruising and meniscus damage in her left knee. Which is not to be confused with the partial replacement she had of her right knee in April 2024.

"While yesterday did not end the way I had hoped, and despite the intense physical pain it caused,I have no regrets," Vonn said. "Standing in the starting gate yesterday was an incredible feeling that I will never forget. Knowing I stood there having a chance to win was a victory in and of itself.

"I also knew that racing was a risk. It always was and always will be an incredibly dangerous sport."

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Lindsey Vonn injury history

• February 2026: A complex fracture in her tibia that will require multiple surgeries.

• January 2026: Torn ACL, bone bruising and meniscus damage in her left knee after crash during World Cup downhill in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

• January 2019: Impact injury to peroneal nerve.

• November 2018: Torn lateral collateral ligament and meniscus in left knee, three tibial plateau fractures from crash during training at Copper Mountain, Colorado.

• November 2016: Fractured humerus in right arm from crash during training at Copper Mountain, Colorado.

• August 2015: Broken ankle from crash during training in New Zealand.

• February 2016: Multiple fractures in left knee from crash during World Cup super-G in Andorra.

• December 2013: MCL sprain in right knee.

• November 2013: Torn right ACL from crash in training at Copper Mountain, Colorado.

• February 2013: Torn ACL and MCL in right knee and tibial plateau fracture in right leg following crash in super-G at world championships.

• February 2010: Broken right pinkie from crash in giant slalom at Vancouver Olympics. (Where she'd previously won the downhill gold.)

• December 2009: Microfractures in left forearm after crash during giant slalom in Lienz, Austria.

• February 2009: Severed tendon in right thumb cutting open champagne bottle at world championships in Val d'Isère, France.

• February 2007: Sprained right ACL after crash during training at the world championships in Åre, Sweden.

What is a complex tibia fracture?

A tibia fracture is a break in the shin bone that is an emergency needing immediate treatment.

"Your tibias are some of the strongest bones in your body. It usually takes a lot of force to break one," according to the Cleveland Clinic. "You probably won't be able to stand, walk or put weight on your leg if you have a broken shin bone."

A complex fracture involves multiple breaks in a bone and damaged soft tissue,according Yale Medicine.Symptoms include extreme pain, numbness and, sometimes, a bone that protrudes through the skin.Treatment involves stabilization and surgery.

Lindsey Vonn supporters react after Vonn's crash during the women's downhill race at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d'Ampezzo on Feb. 8, 2026.

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See terrible second crash for Lindsey Vonn

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Lindsey Vonn injury history after complex tibia fracture at Olympics

It's hard not to wonder as Kristen Santos-Griswold, the 31-year-old American short track speedskater,competes in the 2026 Winter Games in Italy.

The heartache started a month before the U.S. Olympic trials for the 2018 Winter Games. Santos-Griswold sliced multiple tendons in her left hand and wrist on an opponent's skate during a crash.

She needed surgery but still competed at the trials while wearing a cast and placed fourth, failing to make the U.S. Olympic team by one spot.

The heartache continued at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. Santos-Griswold was racing in the 1,000-meter final and, with two laps to go, in position to become the first U.S. woman short track speedskater to medal at the Olympics in 12 years.

Then she got taken out by Italy's Arianna Fontana, a 10-time Olympic medalist, and crashed. It relegated Santos-Griswold to a fourth-place finish, one spot away from a medal.

Santos-Griswold said she considered quitting after the crash in Beijing.

"I had to really sit there and think about it in four years the same thing happens again, would that be worth it?" she said in October at the Team USA Media. "And so obviously I'm here, so I did decide that it would be."

Yuma Kagiyama of Team Japan competes in Men's Single Skating - Short Program on day one of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 7, 2026 in Milan, Italy. Kagiyama pulled off a stunning routine that received 108.67 points, placing first in the event.

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See emotional moments of triumph and defeat at 2026 Winter Olympics

Yuma Kagiyama of Team Japan competes in Men's Single Skating - Short Program on day one of the Milano Cortina2026 Winter Olympicsat Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 7, 2026 in Milan, Italy. Kagiyama pulled off a stunning routine that received 108.67 points, placing first in the event.

For better or worse

Santos-Griswold married her husband, Travis, on July 7, 2021. They'd already experienced for better or worse even before reciting their wedding vows.

In December 2017, when another skater cut tendons in Santos-Griswold's left hand and wrist, Travis Griswold took off a month from work to help Santos-Griswold recuperate and to accompany her to the U.S. Olympic trials.

He said he learned how to tie her skates because with a cast on her hand she couldn't do it herself.

"It was probably the most stressful time because you'd be surprised how particular athletes are with how their skates are tied until she would let me know when I did it wrong,'' he said.

Santos-Griswold finished just short of making the U.S. Olympic team, but Travis Griswold said he participates in training.

"She comes home and it might be 9:00 p.m. and I'm about ready to go to bed and she wants to do a core workout,'' Travis Griswold said. "So we get down and do a core workout because it's those little things that really add up at the end of the day.

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"It's like she just will never give up.''

'Why can't I?'

At the World Short Track Championships in 2024, Santos-Griswold won five medals and the Crystal Globe, awarded to world's top all-around female short track skater.

She was at the pinnacle.

Then in May 2025, she broke her clavicle in a bike accident and struggled with back issues. She has continued to experience back trouble. But perhaps her biggest problem is slowing down.

The coaches wanted the speed skater who was doing late-night core workouts with her husband to give her body a break.

"I was so used to training and going and pushing myself so hard every single, digging myself into a hole, doing everything, going above and beyond, and realizing that now that I'm older, I can't do that anymore,'' Santos-Griswold said. "But seeing my teammates be able to do it, it was kind of a bit of a mind game of they're doing it, why can't I?''

Then, Santos-Griswold said, someone sat her down one day and helped her see the bigger picture.

Santos-Griswold is married. Her younger teammates are not.

She has a degree in kinesiology from the University of Utah. Her younger teammates do not have college degrees.

Scared to watch the video

Santos-Griswold said she was upset and heartbroken after the crash at the Beijing Games, but it was something else that made it difficult for her to watch the videotape.

"Honestly. I was scared to watch it and be, like, I did that to myself, I put myself in a bad position, all of that. And I felt like it was easier to sit there and blame the person who took me out or blame this or blame that, rather than be like, I could have been in a better spot. I could have done this at this time. I could have done that and not let it happen," Santos-Griswold said. "And yeah ... that was a little bit of comforting to put it on someone else for the time, but something that I realized going into this Games I need to learn from and move forward from.''

Progress occurred.

"I think the first time I watched it, I definitely teared up a bit,'' Santos-Griswold said. "But I think that kind of helped me realize that while I still can't be in control of what other people do in this sport, I can be in control of how I handle situations and how I learn from them and grow from them.''

She's committed to doing that during the Milano Cortina Games at the risk of more heartache.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Kristen Santos-Griswold's speed skating journey: Heartbreak to hope

College football's once-vital February signing window has become Arbor Day. They're dates on the calendar, but they're unlikely to come up when you're sitting in the barber's chair.

Say, Johnny, whatcha got cookin' this weekend?

Well, Scissorhands, I'm planting a tree. It's Arbor Day.

Arthur who?

Yeah, that conversation has never occurred in any barbershop I've stepped foot in, and they're not discussing five-star recruits signing on the first Wednesday in February anymore, either. Because, for one, they don't sign in February. Most top prospects sign in December.

Hayes:Time for SEC to force Big Ten to join CFP party, or go it alone

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Even then, the early signing period takes a backseat to the transfer portal sweepstakes that reshape rosters each winter. It's a transfer world.

Ascollege football's acquisition seasonwinds down, here are 10 transfers I can't stop thinking about:

QB Josh Hoover:Indiana(from TCU)

A year ago, Hoover had a chance to leave TCU for a lucrative deal to become Tennessee's starting quarterback. Hoover's response? "Nope."

So, get a load of this: Hoover passed on the chance to play in the once-mighty SEC, but he couldn't say no toCurt Cignetti. How the mighty have fallen. How the Hoosiers have risen. Oh, how college football has changed. Hoover can helpkeep the Big Ten ahead of the SEC.

Indiana wanted Hoover badly enough, it stomached that it meant losing Fernando Mendoza's little brother, Alberto, whotransferred to Georgia Tech.

Hoover is a stat-stuffer for passing yards and completions. He also led the Big 12 in interceptions. Other quarterbacks possess a stronger arm. But, Hoover combines experience with accuracy. He should thrive paired with Cignetti.

QB Darian Mensah: Miami (fromDuke)

Miami has swiftlybecome Transfer Quarterback U. If it's not broken, …

Should Mensah play as well or better as Miami's past transfers, then the Hurricanes are an A-list national championship contender. The supporting cast should be there.

Mensah isn't the household name Carson Beck was when he arrived from Georgia. He didn't date a bikini model, like Beck did, or drive a Lamborghini. But Mensah, not Beck, led the ACC in passing yards per game, and Mensah's team won the conference.

Mensah is cerebral, and he plays like it. That made him a fit for Tulane and Duke. He pairs wits with sharp accuracy, and he avoids interceptions.

Mensah joins an offense featuring the ACC's best running back, Mark Fletcher, and premier receivers. The 15-to-1 national championship odds for Miami look like a value buy.

WR Cam Coleman: Texas (from Auburn)

Now, we get to seewhat Arch Manning can dowith an elite wide receiver. He didn't have one last season. Now, we get to see what Coleman can do with a competent quarterback and a still-in-his-prime coach. He didn't have those going for him at Auburn.

Texassigned its best transfer haul ever, an acknowledgment theLonghornscan't expect to win national championships just by signing and developing strong recruiting classes. Coleman is the crown jewel. NFL teams will covet his abilities soon enough. He's 6-3 and quick. He wins receptions amid tight coverage.

For Texas to live up to the inevitable hype, Manning must improve. He also needed more fuel around him. Adding Coleman is like putting top-grade petrol into Texas' engine.

QB Brendan Sorsby: Texas Tech (from Cincinnati)

Is Sorsby worth the $5 million-plus Texas Tech reportedly spent on him? That debate sort of misses the point.Mega-booster Cody Campbellhas money to burn. So, Texas Tech is going tokeep spending. Campbell's dollars helped purchase the quarterback whomsome expertsconsider to be this year's top transfer. I harbor some doubts.

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Sorsby is plenty athletic, capable of beating defenses in multiple ways. His arm will suit NFL evaluators. Some other quarterbacks hit with more accuracy and read defenses better.

Texas Tech's playoff loss proved it needs more scoring punch to accelerate from intriguing subplot to national championship caliber. If Sorsby delivers like Mendoza did for Indiana, he'll have been worth every cent. If not, Texas Tech will be left questioning whether it bought the right quarterback.

OT Jordan Seaton: LSU (from Colorado)

If your only knowledge of Seaton is his second-team All-Big 12 selection, you might wonder what the big deal is with this guy. Well, take a look at him, and you'll recognize he's abigdeal. We're talking 6- 5, 330 pounds of bigness, packaged with impressive nimbleness. He's just the left tackle Lane Kiffin needed for LSU's offensive rebuild.

LSU's run game retreated into witness protection in Brian Kelly's final two seasons. Pass protection became leaky in 2025.

Kiffin's quick-twitch offense will address that, but you've still got to have capable linemen. Hiring the Portal King means reaping some instant fixes. Seaton addresses a problem LSU had to remedy.

QB Kenny Minchey: Kentucky (from Notre Dame)

Why should Kentucky beintrigued by first-year coach Will Stein? Start here: Kentucky nabbed Notre Dame's quarterback. OK, so that requires context: Kentucky picked up the Irish'sbackup, but Minchey is no scrub. He didn't play much in three seasons at Notre Dame, but he's a former blue-chipper. Marcus Freemanconsidered Minchey a prime optionin Notre Dame's quarterback competition last year, and there's no shame losing a QB battle to CJ Carr.

It's been a minute since Kentucky looked good at quarterback. OK, maybe it's been a generation — like, since Andre Woodson finished his career in 2007.

Stein, a proven quarterback developer, will be tasked with elevating a position that persistently hampered Kentucky during Mark Stoops' tenure. Minchey makes for an interesting start.

WR Isaiah Horton: Texas A&M (fromAlabama)

Horton'sAlabama exitprovides further evidence ofNick Saban being wrongwith his years-ago musing that the transfer portal would make the rich richer and Alabama wouldn't lose its good players. Although not a superstar, Horton supplied utility at a position where Alabama thirsts for more prolific production.

Now, he'll help the pass game for an Aggies team trying to not only return to the playoff but win a game this time. Horton's arrival plugs a void for the Aggies, who lost leading receiver KC Concepcion to the NFL draft, but this transfer also stands out for what it says about Alabama: The Tide are vulnerable to the portal's talent-sucking pull.

Among Alabama's departures, James Smith left for Ohio State, marking the loss of a quality defensive lineman.

QB Dylan Raiola: Oregon (from Nebraska)

Fascinating, this one. Raiola gave up being a third-year starter in the Big Ten for former power Nebraska in exchange for being Dante Moore's caddie for a year.

Sure, that's not the boilerplate Oregon would author about this transfer, but that's the brass tacks. Raiola broke his fibula in November, but Nebraska had outlined a return timeline that indicated he'd be ready to resume his starting duties in 2026.

Maybe, Raiola just grew tired of getting beat up. Nebraska's porous offensive line put him in jeopardy. Also, Moore's previous transfer from UCLA to Oregon showed the upside of leaving a starting job to sit a year at Oregon, before taking the reins.

Having a backup with Raiola's experience gives Oregon a fistful of spades. For Raiola, it might be a temporary headscratcher, but a long-term masterstroke.

QB DJ Lagway:Baylor(from Florida)

Is Lagway good? Asking for a friend. Actually, asking for Baylor coach Dave Aranda. His job will depend on Lagway being good.

I'm not being facetious, either, about Lagway. A junior, he started 19 games at Florida, and although he clearly possesses impressive tools — he can launch a deep ball — it remains unclear how high his ceiling is. At Florida, he got bogged down by inconsistency, turnovers and injuries. His mechanics need work, but what a three-star recruit would do to have Lagway's physical gifts. Baylor offensive coordinator Jake Spavital must apply polish to Lagway.

Lagway couldn't turn down the heat for Billy Napier. Now, Aranda needs saving.

QB Drew Mestemaker: Oklahoma State (from North Texas)

The Air Raid is coming to Stillwater and the triggerman is aformer zero-star recruit turned NCAA passing leader. That's right, nobody threw for more yards last season than Mestemaker did at North Texas. Sure, the Big 12 is a step up in competition, but we've seen Air Raid quarterbacks sizzle in this conference before.

Considering how badly the Cowboys fared the past two years, anything would look like an upgrade. New coach Eric Morris bringing the spine of his 12-win North Texas team with him to the Big 12 teases a quick-fix turnaround. Mestemaker stands in the middle of it all.

The Big 12 is better when Oklahoma State has a pulse. Consider Mestemaker an epinephrine injection.

Blake Toppmeyeris the USA TODAY Network's senior national college football columnist. Email him atBToppmeyer@gannett.comand follow him on X@btoppmeyer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:College football's 10 most intriguing transfers start with Josh Hoover

He's one of the hundreds of millions expected to travel to their hometowns as part of the world's largest movement of humanity, or "chunyun" as it's called in China, ahead of the Lunar New Year on Feb. 17.

"Things feel worse this year than last. The economy is bad and it's getting harder to make money," he said.

Liu chose a slower train to save money: a high-speed train would take just nine hours but costs more than twice as much.

Nonetheless, he chose to make the 30-hour journey to be home for the festival, the one time of year workers across the country take breaks and spend time with their loved ones.

China's government estimates that 9.5 billion trips will be made during the 40 day-period around the festival, a record high, according to information from the National Development and Reform Commission. Some 540 million of those trips will be made via train, and 95 million by air. The rest will be on the road.

In a country where workers are expected to put in long hours — including on weekends — and get few days of annual leave, the Lunar New Year festival is a precious time.

At a train station in Beijing, passengers were crowded in the waiting areas with large bags and suitcases as they waited for their trains. Others snacked on instant noodles, an easy snack as stations provide hot water for free.

Tian Duofu, a young woman who recently started working full time in Beijing, said she was looking forward to the nine-day holiday, which begins Feb. 15. "It has become more difficult for a big family to get together. After I started working, I realized such a long holiday is rare and we see each other less and less in person, which makes the Spring Festival significant."

"The new year is the festival of the year, and if we don't go back home, we won't be able to enjoy the festival atmosphere," said Tian Yunxia, a woman from Henan province who runs a breakfast stall in Beijing. "I want to go home to see my children, my grandchildren and my husband."

By Alex Lefkowitz

SOFIA, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Six people were found dead in the mountains of ​western Bulgaria over the past week, in a case marked by conflicting accounts and strange ‌circumstances that led a prosecutor to liken the two triple deaths to the 1990s mystery series "Twin Peaks".

"This is a case without ‌comparison in our country," Zahari Vaskov, the director of the national police general directorate, told a press conference on Monday.

Prosecutors suspect the deaths may have been murder-suicides or suicides, a lack of clarity that has fuelled speculation and conspiracy theories among Bulgarians.

On Sunday, the police discovered the bodies of three people, including a 15-year-old boy, ⁠in a camper van in the ‌Okolchitsa Peak area. Investigators believe they were connected to a triple killing that took place a week earlier by a mountain hut near Petrohan, which was later ‍burned down.

The hut was used as the base of a non-governmental organisation devoted to nature protection, though some accounts have also described its members as "forest rangers" who for years patrolled the area near the Serbian border and assisted border police.

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Five ​of the dead were members of the National Agency for Control of Protected Areas NGO and ‌had lived at the hut, police said. The boy was the son of a friend.

No member of the group could be reached for comment.

Police released CCTV footage from outside the hut recorded on February 1, the day of the killings, showing all six deceased bidding each other farewell. The three who remained at the hut were later filmed setting it on fire.

Police said the NGO members were involved in Tibetan ⁠Buddhism, adding that Buddhist books and banners were found inside ​the hut. Police also cited a relative of one member who ​spoke of "exceptional psychological instability" within the group.

Four shell casings, two handguns and a rifle were found near the bodies, police said, and forensic experts determined that shots were ‍fired from close range.

Police later ⁠tracked down the other trio, only to find them dead in the camper van. Two of the dead had head injuries, while the autopsy of the third was still ongoing.

"We can conclude, ⁠for both investigations, that one of the main versions that we are working on is murder-suicide and suicide," said Natalia Nikolova, ‌the deputy prosecutor at the Appeal Prosecutor's Office in the capital Sofia.

(Reporting by Alex ‌Lefkowitx, writing by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Ros Russell)