Lindsey Vonn Crashes out of Winter Olympics, Evacuated by Helicopter to Hospital
American ski star Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic comeback hopes came to an abrupt end on Sunday when she withdrew from the women’s downhill event after attempting to compete in Italy due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
As AFP reports, Vonn was barely 13 seconds into the race under bright sunshine in Cortina d’Ampezzo when she lost control, twisted in the air and crashed into the snow.
The 41-year-old’s cries of pain carried to the waiting crowd as medical staff tended to the injured skier on the slope while the sister watching over Vonn was ashen-faced.
Vonn was eventually strapped to a stretcher and hoisted into the air by helicopter to be airlifted for medical treatment to the hospital.
Lindsey Vonn of Team USA crashes during the women’s downhill on the second day of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at the Tofane Alpine Ski Center on February 8, 2026 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (IOC screenshot via Getty Images)
The fact that she is here is a miracle in itself.
Vonn suffered a crash during her final Alpine Skiing World Cup event in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, nine days ago and was immediately hospitalized following the accident.
She was eventually told she suffered a complete ACL tear in her left knee.
Despite her gruesome injury, Vonn insisted she would still compete in the Olympics, as reported by Breitbart News.
Rescue personnel descend from a helicopter to airlift Lindsey Vonn of the United States after her accident during a women’s alpine ski race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
A rescue helicopter is seen flying towards Lindsey Vonn of Team USA after she crashed during the women’s downhill on the second day of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at the Tofane Alpine Ski Center on February 8, 2026 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Mattia Ozbot/Getty)
“I will still have to do a training run, as is necessary for running on Sunday, but… I am confident in my body’s ability to perform. Despite my injuries, my knee is stable, I have no swelling and my muscles are engaged and reacting as they should,” she wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.
Now, it was all for naught for her personally, although the United States still had something to cheer about in the classic event.
Breezy Johnson won gold in the same event for his first Olympic medal.
The Jackson Hole, Wyoming, native was 0.04 seconds ahead of German Emma Aicher. Italian Sofia Goggia won the bronze medal.
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