Lindsey Vonn airlifted to hospital after crashing out of Olympic downhill race | Lindsey Vonn
Lindsey Vonn’s fifth and final Olympics ended the way everyone feared. Moments into her run in the women’s downhill, Vonn’s leg failed as she went over a hill; it twisted and crashed sideways to the ground.
After an initial burst of screams and screams, the atmosphere around the Olimpia delle Tofane downhill slope fell into a deadly calm as the medical team gathered around it. Fifteen minutes later, Vonn was airlifted from the mountain to the hospital for emergency treatment. Her friend and teammate, Breezy Johnson, who was watching from the leader’s seat, covered her eyes.
As Vonn’s helicopter flew over the mountain, the crowd around the mountain began to applaud her, the most decorated female alpine skier in the history of the sport. But the disruption to the race posed a challenge for the competitors lined up behind her, including local favorite Sofia Goggia.
Johnson’s time of 1:36:10 proved enough to take the gold medal, with Germany’s Emma Aicher just 0.04 seconds behind for the silver medal. Goggia had to settle for third place while another competitor, Andorran Cande Moreno Becerra, also had to be evacuated by plane after a heavy fall.
Vonn, 41, was the first 40-year-old to start an Olympic downhill race and was competing here after rupturing the ACL in her left knee during a race in Switzerland last week. “There’s still a chance,” she said earlier this week, “and as long as there’s a chance, I’ll try.”
She had successfully completed two training runs here on Friday and Saturday, but the accident casts doubt on her decision to participate in these Olympic Games in this state.
“In the end, she risked too much,” said two-time Olympic champion Tina Maze, commenting on TNT Sports. “This is the kind of accident that can happen, of course if you’re not in good health the consequences are even worse, but Lindsey wanted to do this no matter what. I
“It’s really hard for everyone here to see this, especially her family and her teammates, everyone who works with her every day. It’s just terrible. A tough day.”
