Lindsey Vonn Suffers Injury in Olympic Skiing Event

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Lindsey Vonn’s valiant attempt to secure an Olympic medal against all odds came to a halt on Sunday when she sustained a broken left leg after a severe crash during the downhill final. The incident occurred just 13.4 seconds into the race.

Despite skiing with a brace merely nine days after her ACL rupture, Vonn could not complete the final at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. Her aim was to make history as the eldest Alpine skier, male or female, to clinch an Olympic medal.

Under ideal, clear-sky conditions, Vonn embarked on the 1.6-mile renowned Tofane course as the 13th competitor. She had 23 more skiers waiting behind her. Tapping her poles together thrice, she launched off but soon crashed before reaching the first course marker, hitting her head, and painfully stopping. The broadcast captured Vonn’s anguished cries.

Lindsey Vonn was airlifted from the course in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Francois-Xavier Marit / AFP – Getty Images

The audience at the hill’s base, including Vonn’s family, grew silent with concern. Medical personnel swiftly attended to her, securing her to a stretcher. Encased in a red bag, Vonn was helicoptered off the course. After a half-hour, the crowd expecting her at the finish line watched as she was airlifted away.

Luca Zaia, the regional governor, confirmed Vonn’s broken left leg required surgery for stabilization. Both the Associated Press and Reuters reported on her hospital surgery. Vonn’s sister, Karin Kildow, recounted how Vonn had invested her heart into competing in the Olympics.

“That’s the last thing we wanted to see,” Kildow expressed to NBC’s Cara Banks. “Your main hope in that moment is for her well-being, and it was terrifying when we saw stretchers prepared. It’s truly disheartening.”

She continued, “Lindsey put everything on the line.” Kildow mentioned Vonn remains under medical scrutiny, and the family remains anxious for more news. Team USA’s head speed coach, Paul Kristofic, stated Vonn’s condition was still being evaluated in Cortina, and the team had received no updates yet.

“Currently, we lack specific details,” shared Kristofic with reporters. “She’s with the medical team for assessment.”

On a different note, American skier Breezy Johnson secured the gold medal by clocking 1:36.1 as the sixth racer, narrowly winning by just four-hundredths of a second. Johnson now joins Vonn as the only American women to win Olympic downhill gold. Nevertheless, the event will be remembered for Vonn’s crash.

The contrast between her fearless displays of skill — including logging the third-fastest time in Saturday’s training — and her crash was sharply noted. The outcome was particularly harsh as the course is Vonn’s preferred venue.

“My heart aches for her, and I hope the injury proved less severe than it appeared,” said Johnson, who had missed the 2022 Olympics after a crash on the same course. “When a course dear to you leads to such hurt, it becomes even more painful.”

Vonn was renowned as the Olympics’ most prominent athlete, and anticipation rose as she attempted to medal despite an ACL rupture just nine days back. Her chase for a medal came 16 years after her triumph in the Vancouver Olympics downhill. She had also earned bronzes in 2018’s downhill and 2010’s super-G.

Team USA fans react after witnessing Lindsey Vonn’s crash on Sunday.

Mattia Ozbot / Getty Images

After announcing in 2024 that she would return to competition, Vonn faced health and rust challenges. A robotic surgery part-replacing her knee renewed her confidence, resulting in her healthiest season in a decade.

This season’s healthy performance helped her podium at all five World Cup races, including two victories, making her the oldest to win on this prestigious circuit. Her accomplishments fueled belief in her Cortina medal quest, despite the crash in Switzerland casting doubt.

Vonn resisted surgery, opting for a brace, validated by two successful high-speed training runs before the finals.

Ahead of the final, Kildow communicated with NBC News about her mixed emotions, vacillating between nerves and excitement: “We felt today was perfect, filled with positive vibes. We eagerly anticipated watching.”

Familiar with the Cortina course, Vonn embraced it as her favorite, guiding her comeback. Cortina had witnessed 12 of her 84 World Cup wins. Yet, not everyone’s experience was favorable — for instance, Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin sustained knee injuries here.

In the final, Vonn had to strain her knee beyond prior training. Her injury was especially challenging given the ACL’s vital stabilizing role, usually demanding months for recovery.

Vonn had remained confident about her prospects: “My ACL was in function until last Friday,” she stated previously. “Doubt doesn’t equate to impossibility. My ACL is wholly ruptured, not partially.”

Sunday’s event abruptly ended her extraordinary quest for the podium.

Reporters Andrew Greif from Milan and Molly Hunter from Cortina d’Ampezzo contributed to this article.

Andrew Greif, a sports correspondent for NBC News Digital, covered this story.

Molly Hunter, a London-based NBC News correspondent, reported.