US skier Lindsey Vonn’s bid to win Olympic downhill gold with a ruptured ACL lasted just 13 seconds on Sunday as the American star suffered a severe crash early in her run.
Vonn, 41, had captured headlines in the opening days of the Milano Cortina Olympics with her determined effort to compete despite the knee injury she sustained at Crans Montana on January 30. Wearing bib number 13 and a brace on her injured knee, Vonn appeared focused and energized at the start gate, tapping her ski poles before setting off down Cortina’s famed Olimpia delle Tofane course. Her extensive experience on the track includes 12 World Cup victories at the venue over her celebrated career.
The run, however, ended in disaster. Vonn clipped the fourth gate with her shoulder and immediately lost control, barreling off the sunlit course at high speed before coming to rest in a crumpled heap. Spectators and teammates gasped in horror as Vonn’s screams were broadcast on live television.
Medical teams rushed to her side, and a yellow helicopter arrived to airlift her to Cortina’s Codivilla Putti Hospital for assessment. Spectators applauded as she was taken from the course. Officials did not provide immediate updates on her condition.
Vonn’s teammate Breezy Johnson, the world champion who had posted the fastest time in the race, covered her eyes as the helicopter was called. Johnson later claimed the gold, but the day was marked by a mix of triumph and heartbreak for the US team.
The crash sent shockwaves through the Olympic Games. Fellow American downhill skier Bryce Bennett, watching on a big screen in Bormio, described the moment as devastating. “It’s obviously a bummer. It’s just like the risk of downhill is high and … Like, everyone makes it look so easy when it’s going smooth and then you see how quickly it can go in the other direction,” he said.
Television commentators and athletes expressed concern. Double Olympic gold medallist Tina Maze noted that Vonn had taken a major risk. “Of course if you’re not healthy then the consequences are even worse, but we all know Lindsey,” she said. “It’s her decision that she wanted to do this no matter what. It’s really tough for everyone here to see this and especially for her family and her teammates and everyone working with her. I mean it’s terrible.”
FIS president Johan Eliasch praised Vonn’s contribution to skiing despite the accident. “Tragic, but it’s ski racing, right? And I can only say, thank you for what she has done for our sport… I hope she will have a speedy recovery and is back on skis very, very soon.”
Vonn’s sister, Karin Kildow, said the skier had given everything on a course she loves. “That’s definitely the last thing we wanted to see,” she said. “When that happens, you’re just immediately hoping she’s okay. She dared greatly, and she put it all out there.”
Vonn, the 2010 Olympic downhill champion, had aimed to become the oldest Alpine skiing Olympic medallist after winning two World Cup races earlier this year, but her Olympic dream ended in heartbreak on a course where she has built her legacy.
