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Lindsey Vonn, racing on a badly injured left knee, crashed early in the Olympic downhill on Sunday and was taken off the course by a helicopter after the 41-year-old American received medical attention on the snow for long, anguished minutes.
Vonn lost control over the opening traverse after cutting the line too tight and was spun around in the air. She was heard screaming out after the crash as she was surrounded by medical personnel before she was strapped to a gurney and flown away by a helicopter, possibly ending the skier’s storied career. Her condition was not immediately known, with the U.S. Ski Team saying simply she would be evaluated.
Breezy Johnson, Vonn’s teammate, won gold with a run of one minute 36.1 seconds, She became only the second American woman to win the Olympic downhill after Vonn did it 16 years ago.
The 30-year-old Johnson held off Emma Aicher of Germany (1:36.14) and Italy’s Sofia Goggia (1:36.69) on a bittersweet day for Team USA.
Cassidy Gray of Invermere, B.C., was the top Canadian in the event, finishing 26th. Fellow Canadian Val Grenier, of St. Isidore, Ont., was disqualified.
WATCH | Vonn taken from course by helicopter following crash:
Lindsey Vonn airlifted to hospital after serious crash during Olympic downhill
American Lindsey Vonn suffered a crash during the women’s downhill at Milano Cortina 2026. The 41-year-old ruptured the ACL in her left knee a little over a week ago.
Vonn had family in the stands, including her father, Alan Kildow, who stared down at the ground while his daughter was being treated after just 13 seconds on the course.
In an interview with American broadcaster Peacock, Vonn’s sister Karin Kildow said the skier is being evaluated and the family will meet her at the hospital.
“We’re happy everyone’s cheering for her and appreciate all the support,” Kildow said.
“That definitely was the last thing we wanted to see. She always goes 110 per cent, there’s never anything less, so I know she put her whole heart into it and sometimes things happen. It’s a very dangerous sport.”
Others in the crowd, including rapper Snoop Dogg, watched quietly as the star skier was finally taken off the course she knows so well and holds a record 12 World Cup wins.
WATCH | American Johnson wins women’s downhill:
American Breezy Johnson wins women’s downhill at Milano Cortina 2026
Breezy Johnson of the United States claims gold in the women’s Olympic downhill with a time of 1:36.10.
Vonn’s crash was “tragic, but it’s ski racing,” said Johan Eliasch, president of the Internationl Ski and Snowboard Federation.
“I can only say thank you for what she has done for our sport,” he said, “because this race has been the talk of the games and it’s put our sport in the best possible light.”
All eyes had been on Vonn, the feel-good story heading into the Olympics. She had returned to elite ski racing last season after nearly six years, a remarkable decision given her age but she also had a partial titanium knee replacement in her right knee, too. Many wondered how she would fare as she sought a gold medal to join the one she won in the downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
The four-time overall World Cup champion stunned everyone by being a contender almost immediately. She came to the Olympics as the leader in the World Cup downhill standings and was a gold-medal favorite before her crash in Switzerland nine days ago, when she suffered her latest knee injury. In addition to a ruptured ACL, she also had a bone bruise and meniscus damage.
WATCH | Canada’s Gray finishes 26th in downhill:
Canada’s Cassidy Gray finishes 26th in downhill at Milano-Cortina Winter Games
Cassidy Gray of Invermere, B.C., is the top Canadian in the women’s Olympic downhill.
Still, no one counted her out even then. In truth, she has skied through injuries for three decades at the top of the sport. In 2006, ahead of the Turin Olympics, Vonn took a bad fall during downhill training and went to the hospital. She competed less than 48 hours later, racing in all four events she’d planned, with a top result of seventh in the super-G.
“It’s definitely weird,” she said then, “going from the hospital bed to the start gate.”
Cortina has always had many treasured memories for Vonn beyond the record wins. She is called the queen of Cortina, and the Olympia delle Tofana is a course that had always suited Vonn. She tested out the knee twice in downhill training runs over the past three days before the awful crash on Sunday in clear, sunny conditions.
“This would be the best comeback I’ve done so far,” Vonn said before the race. “Definitely the most dramatic.”