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US ski star Lindsey Vonn crashes in Olympic downhill race

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Special Series 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics US ski star Lindsey Vonn crashes in Olympic downhill race Updated February 8,
− 20268:39
+ 202612:30
− AM
+ PM
ET Originally published February 8, 20265:26 AM ET Becky Sullivan United States' Lindsey Vonn crashes into a gate during an alpine ski women's downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy —
− American
+ Vonn's
− alpine
+ comeback
− skiing
+ had
− superstar
+ been
− Lindsey
+ years
− Vonn
+ in
− crashed
+ the
− badly
+ making,
− just
+ and
− 13
+ the
− seconds
+ goal
− into
+ had
− today's
+ always
− women's
+ been
− downhill
+ the
− race,
+ 2026
− one
+ Olympic
− of
+ Games
− the
+ in
− most
+ Cortina.
− eagerly
+ This
− anticipated
+ is
− events
+ the site
of
+ so many cherished memories for
the
− 2026
+ superstar
− Winter
+ skier
− Olympics.
+ in
− This
+ her
− ends
+ decorated career, from
her
− dream
+ first-ever
− of
+ World
− coming
+ Cup
− back
+ podium
− from
+ finish
− retirement
+ in 2004,
to
− win
+ the
− another
+ Super-G
− Olympic
+ race
− medal. Vonn
+ 11
− had
+ years
− successfully
+ later
− completed
+ that
− two
+ made
− training
+ her
− runs
+ the
− in
+ sport's then-winningest female skier of all time. But
the
− days
+ slope
− leading
+ at
− up
+ Cortina
− to
+ —
the
− race.
+ famed
− But
+ Olimpia
− on
+ delle
− Sunday,
+ Tofane
− she
+ downhill
− crashed
+ course
− hard
+ —
− coming
+ can
− off
+ be cruel, and
the
− first
+ memory
− jump
+ made Sunday will be devastating, as Vonn's hopes
of
− the
+ capping
− course
+ her
− and
+ comeback
− had
+ with
− to
+ an
− be
+ Olympic
− airlifted
+ medal ended instead with a medical evacuation
by helicopter off the
− mountain.
+ slope.
− The
+ Just
− crash
+ 13
− was
+ seconds
− initiated
+ into her downhill run,
as
− Vonn
+ she
− passed
+ skied
through the fourth gate of the
− race.
+ course,
− Her
+ Vonn hooked her
right arm
− caught
+ and shoulder around
the
− gate
+ gate,
− and
+ which
− sent
+ swung
her
− off
+ whole body to
the
− jump
+ right
− unbalanced,
+ as
− sending
+ she
− her
+ skied
− into
+ off
− the
+ a
− air
+ jump.
− spinning
+ Her
− to
+ body
− her
+ spun
− right. She
+ in the air then
landed
+ —
hard
+ —
on the snow
− on
+ and
− her
+ tumbled
− right
+ end-over-end
− side,
+ down the slope. That Vonn competed in Sunday's race at all made
her
− skis
+ performance
− perpendicular
+ a
− to
+ comeback-within-a-comeback—
− the
+ first
− slope,
+ from retirement,
and
− tumbled.
+ then
− The
+ from
− shocked
+ an
− grandstand
+ eleventh-hour
− fell
+ tear
− into
+ of
− silence
+ her
− as
+ left anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, in
a
− medical
+ race
− team
+ just
− tended
+ nine days ago. Her sheer determination and audacity
to
− her
+ compete
− for
+ despite
− more
+ the
− than
+ ACL
− 10
+ tear
− minutes. United
+ had
− States'
+ turned
− Lindsey
+ Sunday's
− Vonn
+ race
− is
+ into
− airlifted
+ perhaps
− away
+ the
− after
+ most
− a
+ anticipated event of the Olympic Games. Her
crash
− during
+ was
− an
+ all
− alpine
+ the
− ski
+ more
− women's
+ devastating
− downhill
+ because
− race,
+ of
− at
+ it. At
the
− 2026
+ finish
− Winter
+ line
− Olympics,
+ in Cortina, at least a thousand faces
in
− Cortina
+ the
− d'Ampezzo,
+ grandstand
− Italy,
+ turned
− Sunday,
+ in
− Feb.
+ unison
− 8,
+ from
− 2026.
+ anticipation
− (AP
+ to
− Photo/Jacquelyn
+ anguish,
− Martin)
+ their
− Jacquelyn
+ cheers
− Martin/AP/AP
+ silenced,
− hide
+ as
− caption
+ the big screen broadcast her tumble. On television, announcers in every language cried out upon watching it unfold.
− Team
+ The
− USA
+ extent
− skier
+ of
− Breezy
+ her
− Johnson
+ injuries
− came
+ was
− first
+ not immediately clear. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard team said
in
+ a brief statement that Vonn would be "evaluated by medical staff." Vonn's fall cast a pall on
the
+ results of Sunday's
race,
− winning
+ where Vonn's teammate Breezy Johnson, brought Team USA
the
− gold
+ first
− medal.
+ medal of the 2026
+ Games.
The 30-year-old
− has
+ American
− made
+ Breezy Johnson won the gold medal with a time of 1:36.10. Johnson had mounted
her
− return
+ own comeback from injury
to
− the
+ reach these
Olympics after badly
− injuring
+ hurting
her knee in a
− series
+ pair
of crashes shortly before the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.
+ The second of Johnson's crashes that year took place, by chance, on the downhill course in Cortina. "I do know what it is to be here, to be fighting for the Olympics, and to have this course burn you, and to watch, for me, those dreams die," Johnson told reporters after the race. "It was one of the most heart-breaking moments of my life, and I can't imagine the pain she's going through." Johnson's gold medal was only the second ever for an American woman in the Olympic downhill; the first was won by Vonn in 2010.
2026 Milan Cortina Olympics Breezy Johnson's downhill gold is America's first medal of 2026 Winter Olympics Germany's Emma Aicher claimed the silver medal, and Italy's Sofia Goggia won the bronze.
+ United
− The
+ States'
− Tofane
+ Lindsey
− course
+ Vonn
− has
+ is
− been
+ airlifted
− beset
+ away
− by
+ after
− fog
+ a
− and
+ crash
− light
+ during
− snow
+ an alpine ski women's downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics,
in
− recent
+ Cortina
− days,
+ d'Ampezzo,
− leading
+ Italy,
− to
+ Sunday,
− delays
+ Feb.
− and
+ 8,
− cancellations
+ 2026.
− of
+ (AP
− training
+ Photo/Jacquelyn
− runs.
+ Martin) Jacquelyn Martin/AP/AP hide caption
Vonn, the 41-year-old Team USA star, had already had a decorated career when she retired in
− 2019,
− and
+ 2019
− was
+ after
− attempting
+ a
− to
+ series
− stage
+ of
− a
+ injuries
− comeback
+ to
− within
+ her
− a
+ knees
− comeback. After
+ had
− launching
+ her
− out
+ convinced
− of
+ she
− retirement
+ would
− straight
+ be
− into
+ unable
− the
+ to
− stratosphere
+ race
− of
+ again. But
− the
+ a
− World
+ partial
− Cup
+ knee
− downhill
+ replacement
− standings,
+ in
− she
+ 2024
− wanted
+ changed
− to
+ that
− cap
+ story,
− it
+ and
− all
+ she
− off
+ soon
− with
+ returned
− an
+ to
− Olympic
+ full-time
− medal
+ training.
− barely
+ Before
− a
+ her
− week
+ ACL
− after
+ tear
− tearing
+ late
− her
+ last
− ACL. After
+ month
− Vonn's
+ at
− crash,
+ a
− Johan
+ race
− Eliasch,
+ in
− president
+ Switzerland,
− of
+ Vonn's
− the
+ performance
− International
+ this
− Ski
+ season
− and
+ had
− Snowboard
+ left
− Federation
+ no
− told
+ room
− NPR:
+ for
− "I
+ debate.
− don't
+ Coming
− think
+ into
the
− crash
+ Olympics,
she
− had
was
− necessarily
+ atop
− a
+ the
− result
+ FIS
− of
+ leaderboard
− her
+ with
− recent
+ two
− injury.
+ World
− And
+ Cup
− that
+ wins,
− is
+ bringing
− a
+ her
− decision
+ career
− each
+ total
− athlete
+ to
− has
+ 84,
− to
+ and
− take
+ five
− themselves...
+ other
− it's
+ podium
− not
+ finishes,
− for
+ and
− somebody
+ she
− else
+ was
− to
+ considered
− tell
+ a
− them." He
+ serious
− added:
+ contender
− "Knowing
+ for
− Lindsey,
+ the
− she
+ gold
− knows
+ medal. But
− her
+ the
− body,
+ ACL
− she
+ tear
− knows
+ seriously
− her
+ hurt
− injuries
+ those
− and
+ chances,
− knows
+ she
− what
+ acknowledged
− she's
+ last
− capable
+ week.
− to
+ Still,
− perform.
+ her
− So
+ knee
− I'm
+ felt
− sure
+ good,
she
− made
+ said
− a
+ —
− correct
+ stable,
− decision
+ not
− to
+ swollen
− start
+ and
− today." The
+ free
− downhill
+ of
− race
+ pain
− began
+ —
− at
+ and
− 11:30
+ she
− a.m.
+ said
− local
+ was
− time
+ determined
− on
+ to
− the
+ race. "Knowing
− Olimpia
+ Lindsey,
− delle
+ she
− Tofane
+ knows
− ski
+ her
− course
+ body,
− in
+ she
− Cortina,
+ knows
− a
+ her
− classic
+ injuries
and
− beloved stop on the World Cup
− circuit. Cortina
+ knows
− has
+ what
− played
+ she's
− host
+ capable
to
− several significant
− moments
+ perform.
− of
+ So
− Vonn's
+ I'm
− career,
+ sure
− including
+ she
− her
+ made
− first
+ a
− ever
+ correct
− World
+ decision
− Cup
+ to
− podium,
+ start
− and
+ today,"
− the
+ said
− victory
+ Johan
− that
+ Eliasch,
− made
+ president
− her
+ of
the
− winningest female skier in World
− Cup
+ International
− history
+ Ski
− (a
+ and
− title
+ Snowboard
− that
+ Federation,
− now
+ who
− belongs
+ spoke
to
− fellow
+ reporters
− American
+ after
− Mikaela
+ the
− Shiffrin).
+ crash.
That Cortina is
− hosting
+ the host of
the women's alpine events at the 2026 Olympics
− was
+ had been
a key motivator for Vonn, she told reporters last year. "If it had been anywhere else, I would probably say it's not worth it," she said
− in
+ last
October. "But for me there's something special about Cortina that always pulls me back, and it's pulled me back one last time."
− Vonn's comeback
+ Vonn
− began
+ had
− with
+ successfully
− a
+ completed
− partial
+ two
− knee
+ training
− replacement
+ runs
in
− 2024
− that
+ the
− installed
+ days
− a
+ leading
− titanium
+ up
− implant
+ to
− in
+ the
− her
+ race.
− right
+ It
− knee.
+ was
− Before
+ not
− her
+ immediately
− ACL
+ clear
− tear
+ whether
− late
+ Vonn's
− last
+ ACL
− month
+ tear
− at
+ played
a
− race
+ role
in
− Switzerland,
+ the
+ crash.
Vonn's
− performance this season had
− left
+ teammate
− no
+ Bella
− room
+ Wright,
− for
+ who
− debate.
+ watched
− She
+ the
− was
+ crash
− atop
+ from
the
− FIS
− leaderboard
+ top
− with
+ of
− two
+ the
− World
+ hill
− Cup
+ as
− wins,
+ she
− bringing
+ awaited
her
− career total to 84, and five other podium finishes. "It's heartbreaking. We were up there, we watched it live. Things just happen so quickly in this sport," said
− Bella
+ own
− Wright,
+ turn
− a
+ on
− ski
+ the
− racer
+ course,
− on
+ called
the
− U.S.
+ fall
− team.
+ "heart-breaking."
"It looked like Lindsey had incredible speed out of that
− turn
+ turn,
and she hooked her arm
+ —
and it's just over, just like
− that," Wright
− added.
+ that,
− "After
+ after
all the preparation, after years of hard work and
− rehabilitation...it's the last thing you want to see for Lindsey." "She should be really proud of everything she has gone through to get back
− here,"
+ rehabilitation,"
Wright said. "She's an inspiration to all of
− us
+ us,
and she should be really proud. I know it probably doesn't feel like that
− right
now, but I hope one day she can recognize that." Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor