In a dramatic turn of events at the Cortina Winter Olympics, American skier Breezy Johnson captured an emotional gold medal in the women’s downhill competition while her teammate Lindsey Vonn suffered a catastrophic crash that likely ended her Olympic career.
The 41-year-old Vonn, competing just nine days after rupturing ligaments in her left knee, lost balance after hitting a gate on her first jump during Sunday’s event. Despite completing two successful training runs on the iconic Olimpia delle Tofane course, Vonn required lengthy medical attention before being airlifted off the piste via helicopter as stunned spectators applauded in support.
Vonn had been taking an extraordinary risk by competing with a completely torn ACL sustained during the final World Cup race before the Games in Switzerland. The legendary skier had targeted the downhill as her preferred event while also being entered in the super-G and team events, though her participation in any remaining competitions now appears highly unlikely.
Meanwhile, Breezy Johnson delivered a blistering performance with a time of 1:36.10 seconds that secured her the gold medal. The 30-year-old world champion watched Vonn’s crash from the finish line with her head in her hands, having completed her own run sixth in the starting order. Germany’s Emma Aicher claimed silver by a razor-thin margin of 0.04 seconds, while Italian favorite Sofia Goggia took bronze.
Vonn’s crash created challenging conditions for subsequent competitors as the delay caused snow conditions to deteriorate in the midday sun. The incident also visibly unsettled the field, with Andorra’s Cande Moreno also requiring helicopter evacuation after crashing into a gate.
The four-time Olympian had remained defiant in the face of medical skepticism, publicly refuting a doctor’s claim that her injury was ‘not a fresh tear’ by confirming her ACL was ‘100% torn.’ Vonn had hoped to replicate her triumphant Vancouver 2010 downhill gold medal performance, but instead faced what appears to be a devastating conclusion to her Olympic journey.