By OLIVER SALT, US ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Published: 18:14 EST, 16 February 2026 | Updated: 01:15 EST, 17 February 2026

Lindsey Vonn’s sister insists the Olympic icon is ‘super strong’ despite her gruesome leg break after battling through a ‘rough’ week in hospital.

Vonn, 41, underwent four surgeries in Italy after fracturing her complex tibia in a horror skiing crash at the Winter Olympics.

The serious damage suffered to her leg requires multiple procedures, while one specialist has warned that some similar injuries even require amputation.

Following her older sister’s fourth op on Saturday, and release from hospital on Sunday, Karin Kildow has told TMZ Sports that she is now taking it ‘one day at a time.’

‘It’s been a rough one, been in the hospital a lot,’ Kildow, 37, admitted. ‘Just one day at a time. She’s super strong, but there’s a lot of surgeries and things. We’re working on getting her back to the U.S.’

On Monday night, Vonn confirmed she had returned home and paid tribute to hospital staff in Europe. ‘[I] haven’t stood on my feet in over a week… been in a hospital bed immobile since my race,’ she posted on social media. 

Lindsey Vonn’s sister insists the Olympic icon is ‘super strong’ despite her gruesome leg break

The 41-year-old Vonn has undergone four surgeries after a horror crash at the Winter Olympics

‘And although I’m not yet able to stand, being back on home soil feels amazing… huge thank you to everyone in Italy for taking good care of me.’ 

Critics on social media have questioned Vonn’s decision to compete in the women’s downhill race on the day after suffering a torn ACL in the lead-up to it.

But Karin says the family are not paying any attention to the negativity online.

‘You know what? Everyone’s gonna have their thing to say, I think… but she’s strong and she did it,’ she concluded.

Earlier on Monday, Vonn shared a behind-the-scenes video from hospital on Instagram, which shows her undergoing exercises, having her hair washed and being fed dinner while stepping up her recovery.

She also included the caption: ‘Thankful for friends, family, my team and all the medical staff that are getting me back to myself…. I’m slowly coming back to life, back to basics and the simple things in life that mean the most. Smile. Laugh. Love.

‘My sister @kar_inthegarage made this video and it instantly made me cry and made my heart full. Love you guys’.

Vonn lost control last Sunday over the opening traverse after cutting the line too tight and was spun around in the air.

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She shared a behind-the-scenes video of the recovery process in hospital on Monday

The skiing legend suffered a broken left leg after she crashed in the women’s downhill race 

She was heard screaming out after the crash as she was surrounded by medical personnel before she was strapped to a gurney and flown away by a helicopter.

Last week, a defiant Vonn also suggested that she will one day ski again despite fears that she could lose her left leg.

In an emotional post, the iconic skier added that she had no regrets about competing in the downhill event – she had torn her ACL in her left knee days before the crash, something she insists had no influence over what happened – and remarkably vowed to ski again one day in the future.

While she surely meant it in a recreational sense rather than trying once again to compete at the highest level, she said: ‘Please, don’t feel sad. The ride was worth the fall. When I close my eyes at night I don’t have regrets and the love I have for skiing remains.

‘I am still looking forward to the moment when I can stand on the top of the mountain once more. And I will.’

Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen has encouraged the club to pursue a possible move for Sandro Tonali in the summer transfer window.

The Red Devils prioritised overhauling their misfiring attack last summer, with Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko arriving through the doors at Old Trafford for a combined fee of around £200million.

Club bosses had also been keen to bring in a deep-lying midfielder to suit Ruben Amorim’s much-maligned 3-4-3 system, reportedly identifying Adam Wharton, Elliot Anderson and Carlos Baleba as potential targets.

Brighton have since confirmed United’s interest in Baleba on the back of an exceptional season for the 22-year-old Cameroon international last term at the Amex Stadium.

But according to Brighton CEO Tony Bloom, United simply ‘went away’ when informed that Baleba would not be sold unless an astronomical fee was offered for the former Lille man.

Despite Amorim’s departure as head coach, United remain in the market for a midfielder in the mold of Baleba – and the likes of Joao Gomes and Ruben Neves were also linked over the course the January transfer window.

If it were up to Meulensteen, though, Newcastle duo Tonali and Joelinton should both be on United’s radar as options who ‘could fit the bill’ at the Theatre of Dreams.

Widespread reports claimed Arsenal made an approach for Tonali following an injury to Mikel Merino last month, but Newcastle made it clear the Italian was not for sale. It’s understood the Magpies have since slapped an asking price of £100m on their prized possession.

‘Sandro Tonali is a good player and he’s done really well for Newcastle,’ Meulensteen told BetGoat.

‘The rumours I heard were that he possibly wanted to go back to Italy, but he’s definitely a good player who understands how to play that role in midfield and he’s a good passer of the ball.

‘Manchester United definitely need to look into that position and what they need, I think they could look at Joelinton in that position. He obviously came there as a forward and Eddie Howe has dropped him and turned him into this massive motor in midfield.

‘He is a great player that has been learning from Bruno Guimaraes who is a leader, a strong character, a winner.

‘He’s possibly hard to get, but he could all fit the bill in my opinion.

‘Having said that, so does Adam Wharton because he’s so good at playing forward and that is exactly what the forwards would thrive on at Manchester United. Elliot Anderson again, great.’

But while Meulensteen recognises United’s apparent weakness at the base of the midfield, he is also wary about forcing Kobbie Mainoo out of the side again – as was the case under Michael Carrick’s predecessor Amorim.

‘There are so many, there’s plenty out there,’ Meulensteen, one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s most trusted lieutenants, added.

‘But you wouldn’t want to bring too many in because you don’t want Kobbie Mainoo to end up back on the bench again.

‘He’s proven in those games that Michael Carrick has played him and he has all the right to keep playing and improving because you’ve got an outstanding player there.’

After the incessant rumours linking him with Arsenal towards the end of January, Tonali appeared to reaffirm his commitment to Newcastle with his animated goal celebration in the side’s FA Cup win over Aston Villa on Saturday.

Tonali, who scored twice in a 3-1 victory at Villa Park, later explained: ‘The first one, this celebration was, I think, seven months without scoring; if you don’t score for seven months, after the first goal, you celebrate for 10 or 11 goals – like Bruno [Guimaraes]!

‘But after the second goal, I came to Eddie [Howe] because in the past few weeks, people spoke about our relationship, but I work every day with the gaffer, the gaffer works every day with me, and our relationship is perfect. It’s not broken and I think this is perfect for the team.

‘We try to do the best for this team, every game, because we play a lot of games – every three days, we play, and we have to be concentrated every time in the training ground to do the best for our team.’

Tonali has made 96 appearances in all competitions across his three-year spell with Newcastle and got his hands on some silverware last season as Howe’s men lifted the Carabao Cup.

A ten-month ban – after Tonali was found to have breached Italian betting regulations – meant the midfielder played just eight league games in the debut season at St James’ Park.

Tonali’s current contract with the Toon runs through to June 2028, with the option of a further 12 months.

Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer were left stunned by a decision during Newcastle’s win at Aston Villa on Saturday, with the former claiming it was one of the worst he has ever seen.

It was a chaotic FA Cup contest at Villa Park, where the home side took the lead through Tammy Abraham on 14 minutes before shooting themselves in the foot.

Goalkeeper Marco Bizot made the wild decision to sprint out of his goal and take out Jacob Murphy on the counter-attack, earning himself a straight red card just before half-time.

Newcastle made the most of the advantage, with two goals from Sandro Tonali and a third from Nick Woltemade giving them a 3-1 win and put them into the hat for the fifth round draw.

Eddie Howe’s men may have thought it wasn’t going to be their day when one decision went against them at 1-0 down, though, which the officials got badly wrong.

Kieran Trippier put in a cross from the right which Villa defender Lucas Digne handballed.

The officials spotted the infringement, but despite the Frenchman standing well inside the penalty area and never leaving it, they gave a free-kick instead of a penalty.

Newcastle actually went on to score from the free-kick, so it did not cost them, but it was a bizarre mistake, which neither Rooney nor Shearer could believe a top level referee would make.

‘I think you can be critical of officials or you can praise them, either way,’ Rooney said on the BBC. ‘But that decision is one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen in football. At no stage was Digne out the penalty box, I think he’s three or four yards inside the penalty box!

‘The linesman is just in front of us and you can clearly see how much he is in the penalty box.

‘The referee looked like he blew and it looked like he was listening to someone in his ear, so I’m assuming the linesman has give that decision and it’s an absolute shocker.’

Shearer feels it is a sign of the times, with referees and their assistants so used to being able to rely on VAR that they are now lost without it.

There was no VAR in the FA Cup tie as it was before the fifth round and the lack of support left the officials looking foolish.

‘There’s perhaps a small excuse for the referee to not see this, and I’m being kind to him, but there is no excuse whatsoever for the assistant, who is 10-15 yards away,’ said Shearer. ‘Nick Greenhalgh, who had an absolute nightmare today. He’s 15 yards away from that, goodness me.

‘If you ever needed any evidence of the damage VAR has done to the referees, I think today is a great example of that. These guys look petrified to make a decision today because they didn’t have a comfort blanket. That’s the damage its done to the officials.

‘For me, they’re actually getting worse. I really don’t think that’s a difficult decision at all, in fact it’s easy. At this standard, that has to be given. There’s no excuse for the assistant not to tell his referee, he’s got that totally wrong.’

It was not the only error of the game as Abraham’s opener was offside and Newcastle boss Howe agrees with Shearer that officials rely too much on technology.

‘I think there’s an argument to say that, because when VAR is there, there’s always a, ‘Well, I won’t give that, but let’s check it’,’ he said.

‘And I think then your decision-making maybe isn’t as sharp as it may normally have to be, so maybe there’s a difference there.

‘I’m always torn on VAR. I said this many times because I still love the emotion, even tonight, when a goal is given and you don’t see a flag or a referee, it’s a goal, and no one’s going to take it away from you.

‘That joy that you get in that moment, I still really love and VAR takes it away. But then on the other side, I was wishing there was VAR on the first goal against us, and probably throughout that game.’

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Skeleton race controversy: Canada defends move amid sabotage claims

Canada has launched a robust defence against accusations it deliberately withdrew four athletes from a skeleton race, a move that dashed eventual winner Katie Uhlaender’s hopes of qualifying for the Winter Olympics.

Liverpool star Dominik Szoboszlai harbours dreams of moving to Spain to play for Real Madrid, according to his national team head coach Marco Rossi.

Szoboszlai joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig for £60million in 2023, and has gone on to become a vital player under both Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot.

The Hungarian midfielder was instrumental in the Reds’ Premier League triumph last season, and has been one of the few Liverpool players to impress in what has been a tough campaign for the defending champions.

Szoboszlai is under contract at Anfield until 2028, but his long-term future at Liverpool has come under doubt after Hungarian head coach Rossi said the 25-year-old has a lifelong dream to play for Los Blancos.

‘Dominic is currently one of the best players in the ranks of Liverpool and the Premier League, thanks to his outstanding form, where he has developed a lot and clearly,’ Rossi told Qatari outlet Winwin.

‘He is currently one of the best players in Europe and the world, and it is natural that there are clubs that will be interested in signing him.

‘From what I have heard and what I know, and because of the very good and direct relationship I have had with Dominic since he started playing football as a child, Real Madrid was his dream.

‘Dominic, ever since he started playing football, has had one dream, which is to play for Real Madrid.’

Rossi, though, also said he would not be surprised to see Szoboszlai extend his stay at Liverpool, such is his importance and form in Slot’s side at present

‘He’s currently playing for Liverpool and they’re a big team in the Premier League,’ he added. ‘I don’t know if he can take that step, because it depends on his personal decision, as well as his club’s decision.

‘The idea that is always in your mind is to achieve your dream and make that dream a reality, and in my opinion, that is the only thing, and the most important thing, that can dominate Szoboszlai’s thinking.

‘But on the other hand, I don’t rule out the possibility that he will stay at Liverpool and renew his contract there, especially since he is highly regarded within the club.

‘He is a very important player for Liverpool, and Liverpool is one of the biggest clubs in the world.’

Szoboszlai, meanwhile, does not appear to be publicly angling for a move away from Anfield, and instead recently expressed his desire to commit his long-term future to Liverpool.

‘I would love to,’ he told reporters earlier this month when asked about the possibility of signing a new deal at Liverpool.

‘I like the city, I like the club, I like playing with these guys, I love Anfield, I love the fans, let’s see what the future holds. Let’s see what happens, hopefully everyone will be happy at the end.’

The midfield also suggested that talks had begun over a new deal, but nothing had been agreed.

‘It’s not in my hands,’ he added. ‘There is no progression but if the right offer comes then let’s see.’

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By WILL GRIFFEE

Published: 07:38 EST, 14 February 2026 | Updated: 07:57 EST, 14 February 2026

West Ham fans staged a plane protest against their owners during live coverage of their FA Cup clash with Burton Albion. 

The game, televised live on TNT Sports, was used as an opportunity for the beleaguered Hammers supporters to air their grievances, with the club currently locked in a relegation battle. 

Early in the game, a plane with a banner reading ‘Sullivan & Brady out – no more BS!’ was seen above Pirelli Stadium. 

And fans inside the ground played their part too, holding up red cards with ‘No more BS’, written on them. 

On the live coverage, the commentator said: ‘Now were were told to expect there would be a plane going over the stadium, a peaceful and special protest had been promised by West Ham supporters.’

On BBC Radio Five Live, former West Ham goalkeeper Rob Green said: ”The [West Ham] owners have banned banners inside the London Stadium so you are not allowed to voice your protests in terms of signage or anything like that at the ground. The fans have been innovative.

A hole in the net, and a peaceful protest banner in the sky…

An interesting start to proceedings between Burton and West Ham 😅 pic.twitter.com/8AZripZWYd

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 14, 2026

A banner protesting the West Ham ownership was seen flying above the ground 

‘Their concerns are still going on but what they can do is support the team on the pitch and they have good reason at the minute because they have good momentum.’

More to follow…  

US figure skater Maxim Naumov may not have won a medal but he made his late parents proud on Friday night as he competed on the Winter Olympic stage. 

The 24-year-old lost his parents, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, last year when they were among the 67 people killed after American Airlines Flight 5342 crashed into a military helicopter on approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport and fell into the dark depths of the Potomac River.

Over a year on from their deaths, Naumov finished his Winter Games debut with an emotional free skate Friday night. 

It wasn’t a perfect program. Far from it. Naumov fell twice on quad salchows and was uneven throughout. But the point total wasn’t the point.

Naumov finished 20th overall with a total score of 223.36, combining the short program and free skate, but he insisted that he was proud of his performance following the emotional challenges of the past year. 

‘To be honest, I just feel proud,’ Naumov said afterward. ‘I feel proud of the journey that it took to get to this point. That is what I look toward right now. What it took to get here has been indescribable, inwards, getting up every day when I didn’t want to and pushing through the difficult times and the uncertainty of it all. I’m able to have some perspective on that. And I’ve had a lot of perspective in lots of areas in my life this year and skating is no different.

US figure skater Maxim Naumov finished 20th in the Winter Olympic men’s single skating 

The 24-year-old fell twice throughout his free skate program, finishing with a score of 223.36

‘So yes,’ Naumov said, ‘there were some mistakes today, but man, I’m just happy and proud to be standing here today and getting through all the difficulty of this year and still standing on my feet and continuing to push onward.’

Just as he did after his short program, Naumov clutched a photo of his late parents as he awaited his score. After it was announced, he kissed the photo which showed him at three years old on the ice with his parents.

Naumov had finished fourth at the national championships in Wichita, Kansas, last January before heading home to the Boston area, while his parents – world pairs champions-turned-coaches – stayed behind to participate in a youth development camp.

Their plane was carrying more than two dozen members of the tight-knit figure skating community when it crashed.

Vadim and Evgenia were crowned pairs world champions in ice skating in 1994 and were the people who introduced Naumov to the sport, remaining a key influence over his career up until their death.

He wanted to fulfill a dream that he shared with his parents by making it to the Olympics; they were fifth at the 1992 Albertville Games and fourth at the 1994 Lillehammer Games. 

After January’s championships, Naumov said of his grieving process: ‘Once a week I try to have that space with them, in whatever capacity that might be.

Naumov clutched and kissed a photo of his late parents as he awaited his score

Naumov said that he was proud of his performance following the year’s emotional challenges

‘It could be a photo, talking to someone about them. It could be anything. It’s been therapeutic in a way.’

To this day, Naumov wears around his neck a gold chain with a cross, which he received on his baptism day. On his finger is a white gold ring with a single diamond, which his father once wore on his pinkie and passed down to him several years ago. 

‘I mean, there’s parts of life that are difficult, you know? But I think within those difficult times and moments of like, talking about this story, it’s still such a privilege to share,’ he said back in January. 

‘My intention is to share it as much as possible, because not only do my parents deserve all the praise and recognition and the fact that I wouldn’t be here without them, but also to inspire other athletes, or people in general, to know that there is a way. No matter what, there is a way.’ 

Naumov’s US teammate, Ilia Malinin, who had been the favorite for the gold, also missed out on medalling after suffering a collapse in the free skate, which saw him tumble out of podium contention into eighth.  

Matt Weston dominated the rest of the field to win a superb skeleton gold at the Winter Olympics to end Team GB’s long wait for a medal in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Weston converted his overnight lead into glory at the Cortina Sliding Centre, beating his rivals by the second biggest margin at an Olympics to become the first individual male athlete to take gold for Britain at the Winter Games since Robin Cousins in 1980.

The 28-year-old double world champion arrived at these Games as the strong favourite and delivered emphatically with an overall time of 3:43.33 to clinch Team GB’s first medal of the event in Italy.

Weston kissed and embraced fiancée Alex Howard-Jones, who travelled to Cortina along with his family to support the Team GB star, after the medal ceremony.

‘It means everything,’ Weston told BBC Sport. ‘It means a hell of a lot to me personally, I have worked so hard for this.

‘Everyone back at home, my fiancee, my family, my friends, everyone that has sacrificed for me to be here. I have missed funerals, birthdays, everything for this moment and it feels amazing.

Matt Weston dominated the skeleton event, beating his rivals by a huge margin to take gold

Weston, 28, kissed and embraced fiancée Alex Howard-Jones after the race 

Weston is the first Team GB athlete to win a medal at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics

The 28-year-old appeared emotional as he celebrated a dominant victory on Friday night

Weston blew the rest of the field out of the water, winning gold by a huge margin of 0.88sec

‘Even if you’re not part of my close circle, if you play the National Lottery you’re supporting me as well so thank you so much. Hopefully I did you proud.

‘I literally can’t describe it. I’ve been fortunate enough to win World Championships, European Championships and other things as well and this blows them all out of the water. I can’t describe the feeling. I almost feel numb.’ 

His fiancée said: ‘It feels amazing to be honest. I’d told you that he’d get a gold and he did. We couldn’t be prouder.’

Dad Tom Weston added: ‘He’s definitely that good. I knew he’d be very close, at least second. Absolutely proud of him.’ 

Double Olympic champion Lizzy Yarnold, a pundit in the BBC studio, broke down in tears while discussing Weston’s superb victory. 

Weston came into the second day of the men’s event with a healthy 0.30 lead over the rest of the field, after clocking 56.21 on run one before improving to 55.88 in his second. 

He extended his advantage to 0.39 following his third run of 55.63 and ended 0.88 ahead of Axel Jungk of Germany, who took silver, while Jungk’s compatriot and Beijing 2022 champion Christopher Grotheer claimed bronze.

Weston’s triumph comes after days of agonising heartbreak for Team GB, who were backed with £25million worth of funding for this Olympic cycle.

Weston celebrated with his fiancée and his family, who were in Cortina to support the star

The star shared an emotional hug with Howard-Jones, and parents Alison and Tom

Weston stood atop the podium on a chilly Cortina night as he made history in dominant style

The British star on the podium along with silver medallist Axel Jungk (left) and bronze medallist Christopher Grotheer

Weston dropped to the track at the Cortina Sliding Centre after his superb victory

Freestyle skier Kirsty Muir, snowboarder Mia Brookes, and curlers Bruce Mouat and Jen Dodds had all finished fourth in their respective events, before ice dancers Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson also blew a chance to win a medal. 

But Weston had no such problems as he became just the 13th British athlete to ever win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. Team-mate Marcus Wyatt finished ninth.

The build-up to the event for Weston and Wyatt had been dominated by a row over the British team’s helmets, which were ruled illegal. 

The British pair instead reverted to the helmets they used to dominate the 2025-26 World Cup season – Weston won five of seven races and Wyatt the other two. 

The skeleton competition itself was overshadowed by the controversial disqualification of Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was sensationally thrown out of the event for trying to wear a helmet depicting athletes killed in the war with Russia.

Heraskevych appealed the decision but the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday rejected his claim. 

Weston is engaged to Howard-Jones, chief operating officer and founding member of pltfrm search, a specialised executive search firm based in London.

The pair are set to get married in July and both share a ten-year-old cocker spaniel named Logan.

The Team GB star is the first man to ever win the men’s Olympic skeleton title

Weston with his gold medal at the ceremony after his win in the men’s skeleton event

Weston started his sporting career in a completely different field. Born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, he used to take part in competitive taekwondo.

He won gold and silver medals at the European Cup in 2012 and silver and bronze medals at the International Taekwondo Federation World Cup in 2014.

However, he retired from the sport at just 17 years old due to a fracture in his back.

Instead, he focused his attention on rugby representing Kent, Sevenoaks RFC and Saracens Academy College.

He was eventually introduced to skeleton in 2017 by his weightlifting coach Chris Dear through the British Skeleton Discover Your Gold talent identification scheme.

To prepare for the sport he completed a training period with the Royal Marines to test his physical and mental fitness.

He made his competitive debut in 2019 at the Europa Cup in Winterberg, Germany and nearly quit the sport after placing 15th, before winning a silver medal in Igls, Austria, and a bronze in Altenberg, Germany.

In 2021, he won a gold for Great Britain at the men’s World Cup – the first win in the sport for almost 14 years.

After competing at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and with a new coach, he won the European title in 2023 and a week later became world champion, before retaining his title in 2025.

Thomas Tuchel is reportedly set to put pen to paper on a contract extension with England, taking him beyond the World Cup and through to Euro 2028.

According to The Times, news of Tuchel’s renewal could be officially announced before today’s draw for the 2026/27 Nations League.

The report claims Tuchel is ‘excited by the prospect’ of steering England into this summer’s World Cup and into a home European Championships in two-and-a-half years’ time.

The extension is expected to run through to the end of the 2028 tournament, which will be co-hosted by Scotland, Wales and Ireland, with Wembley set to stage both semi-finals and the final.