Ski Legend Lindsey Vonn Airlifted After Crash in Olympic Downhill

Ski legend Lindsey Vonn of the United States failed to finish her Olympic race after a crash, despite competing with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Vonn lost her balance and fell during the women's downhill event at the Tofane Alpine Ski Center in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, on February 8 local time at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

She was unable to get up immediately after the fall. Medical personnel assessed her condition and decided to transport her by medical helicopter.

Vonn, who won gold at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and bronze at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, retired in 2019 but returned to competition in the 2024-2025 season to prepare for these Olympics.

This season, she raised medal expectations with two victories, two second-place finishes, and three third-place finishes on the International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup circuit.

However, injury struck. During a World Cup event in Switzerland on January 30, she injured her left knee while landing after a jump. Despite suffering a torn ACL in her left knee—a serious injury—Vonn pressed on with her Olympic bid.

Official training runs went well. She posted strong times during practice on the Olympic course, boosting her medal prospects. In the second training run, she finished just 0.37 seconds behind first-place finisher Breezy Johnson of the United States, who clocked 1 minute 37.91 seconds, with a time of 1 minute 38.28 seconds.

But an unfortunate accident in the main event denied her the triumphant finish she sought.