Lindsey Vonn's Olympic comeback ends in heartbreak after downhill crash; airlifted to hospital
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Lindsey Vonn's Olympic comeback ends in heartbreak after downhill crash; airlifted to hospital")
Lindsey Vonn Photograph: (AFP)
Lindsey Vonn’s bid for an emotional Olympic comeback ended in agony after she crashed out of the downhill and was airlifted to the hospital for treatment
Lindsey Vonn’s extraordinary Olympic comeback came to a painful halt on Sunday (February 8) after the American ski legend crashed out of the women’s downhill, ending her hopes of an unlikely medal run. Racing under clear skies in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Vonn lost control just seconds into her descent. She was thrown off balance, twisted mid-air, and slammed hard into the snow, drawing audible cries of pain that echoed across the course.
The mood at the finish area shifted instantly as spectators watched the fall unfold on the big screens. Medical teams rushed to her side, eventually securing the 41-year-old onto a stretcher before she was airlifted by helicopter to the hospital for further treatment. Despite the shock of Vonn’s exit, the race continued, with American teammate Breezy Johnson capturing gold in a thrilling finish. Johnson edged Germany’s Emma Aicher by just four hundredths of a second, while Italy’s Sofia Goggia delighted home fans by claiming bronze.
Johnson later said her thoughts were firmly with Vonn. “I just hope she’s okay,” she said. “That looked really tough.”
Watching from the course, Vonn’s sister Karin Kildow shared the heartbreak of the moment. “That’s the one thing we were hoping wouldn’t happen,” she said. Only weeks earlier, Vonn appeared poised to complete one of the most remarkable returns in Olympic history. Having retired in 2019, she re-entered elite competition last year following knee surgery that included a titanium implant to relieve chronic pain.
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Her momentum stalled late in January when she crashed during a World Cup event in Crans-Montana. She later confirmed the accident had left her with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, but remained adamant she could still contend. “I know my odds changed after the crash,” Vonn admitted at the time. “But as long as there’s a chance, I’m going to take it.”
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She also pushed back publicly against critics who questioned whether she could compete at the Olympic level with such a serious injury. Elsewhere on the second full day of competition at the Milan-Cortina Games, Czech snowboarder Zuzana Maderova claimed gold in the women’s parallel giant slalom after defending champion Ester Ledecka was knocked out in the quarter-finals. Maderova went on to beat Austria’s Sabine Payer comfortably in the final.
In cross-country skiing, Norway’s Johannes Klaebo continued his dominance by winning the skiathlon, securing the sixth Olympic gold medal of his career. Later on Sunday, attention turns to figure skating, where the United States enters the final day of the team event under pressure from Japan. American star Ilia Malinin returns to the ice in the free skate after being narrowly outperformed earlier by Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama.
