Lindsey Vonn crashes out in women’s downhill at Winter Olympics
Vonn knew the risk she was taking by competing on Sunday and even hit back at a doctor on social media who claimed the injury was “not another tear.”
She responded by saying her ACL was “100% torn” and that she had hoped to defy the odds by replicating the Olympic downhill gold she won in Vancouver in 2010.
Videos on social media had shown her training at the gym after she said she had no pain or swelling in her knee, while two smooth runs in the build-up to the race gave her, her team and fans confidence.
Chemmy Alcott, a four-time British Olympian, became emotional during the BBC’s coverage and said she “never thought” it would end this way.
“What we saw [is] that the top of the track is really hard for a fit athlete. It’s brutal, think of her family, her team and herself.
“We have to be realistic: the risk was really high, the risk she takes by falling will double. Her body won’t be able to handle it.”
Alcott added that the long delay would also mean the snow on the track would start to melt in the midday sun and so it would be unlikely anyone would beat Johnson’s time of one minute 36.10 seconds.
