CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — Lindsey Vonn’s hopes for reclaiming a gold medal in the women’s downhill competition at the Winter Olympics were thwarted on Sunday when she crashed early in her race.
Vonn, 41, who was competing a week after rupturing her ACL, was off-balance after her first jump and clipped a gate 13.4 seconds into her run on the Olympia della Tofane course. She was airlifted off the side of the mountain by a helicopter several minutes later, NBC News reported.
The three-time Olympic medalist in skiing remained prone in the snow after she crashed, USA Today reported. Spectators looked on in shocked silence, and Vonn could be heard screaming in pain after she fell.
Johan Eliasch, president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, said that Vonn’s crash was “tragic,” The Associated Press reported. He added “that’s ski racing.”
Lindsey Vonn’s bid for gold in the women's downhill ended in a horrible crash early in her run.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) February 8, 2026
The 41-year-old, skiing despite a torn ACL, received treatment on the course for more than 10 minutes before being airlifted from the course by helicopter.https://t.co/Gahx6GY09s
Vonn was the 13th woman to ski down the 1.6-mile-long course, with 23 competitors behind her.
Vonn’s teammate, Breezy Johnson, would win the event, becoming the second American woman to take Olympics gold in the competition, NBC News reported. Vonn won the gold medal in the 2010 Games in Vancouver.
It was the second time in two weeks that Vonn has been airlifted off a mountain. On Jan. 30, she fully ruptured her left ACL and had meniscus damage and bone bruising in the final World Cup event before the Olympics.
“That definitely was the last thing we wanted to see,” Vonn’s sister, Karin Kildow, said on the NBC broadcast after Vonn was airlifted out, according to The Athletic. “It happened quick. When that happens, you’re just immediately hoping she’s OK. It was scary because when you start seeing the stretchers being put out, it’s not a good sign.
“She put it all out there, so it’s really hard to see.”
Vonn has won 84 World Cup races — including two downhill competitions this season — along with eight world championship and three Olympic medals, The Athletic reported. Only Mikaela Shiffrin (108) and Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark (86) have won more World Cup races.
Vonn also took a bronze during the Vancouver Olympics in the Super-G event and grabbed bronze in the downhill during the 2018 Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
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