In a tragic turn of events at the Milano Cortina Olympics, American skiing legend Lindsey Vonn’s courageous attempt to compete with a ruptured ACL culminated in a catastrophic crash mere seconds into her downhill run on Sunday. The 41-year-old champion, wearing bib number 13 and a protective brace on her injured knee, launched from the start gate with characteristic determination before disaster struck at the fourth gate.
The incident unfolded on the Olimpia delle Tofane course, a slope where Vonn had previously celebrated 12 World Cup victories throughout her illustrious career. Television coverage captured the horrifying moment when Vonn’s shoulder clipped a gate, sending her careening off the sunlit track at tremendous velocity before coming to rest in a tangled heap. Audible screams from the champion skier echoed across the mountainside as spectators and teammates watched in stunned silence.
Emergency response teams swiftly surrounded the injured athlete, with a yellow medical helicopter arriving to airlift Vonn from the course in an orange stretcher. The aircraft transported her to Cortina’s Codivilla Putti Hospital for comprehensive medical evaluation, receiving applause from concerned spectators as it departed. No immediate update on her condition was provided following the evacuation.
The crash cast a pall over what should have been a celebratory day for American skiing, as teammate Breezy Johnson secured the world championship title amid the somber atmosphere. Vonn, the 2010 downhill gold medalist, had hoped to make history as the oldest Alpine skiing Olympic medalist following two World Cup victories earlier this season.
Fellow athletes and commentators expressed profound shock at the incident. Double Olympic gold medalist Tina Maze, providing analysis for Eurosport, noted that Vonn had ‘risked too much’ given her physical condition but acknowledged the skier’s legendary determination. FIS president Johan Eliasch characterized the event as ‘tragic’ while praising Vonn’s contribution to the sport, stating the race had ‘put our sport in the best possible light’ despite the unfortunate outcome.