Lindsey Vonn Crashes Out of Downhill Competition at Winter Olympics

Lindsey Vonn Suffers Setback in Olympic Downhill Event

American skier Lindsey Vonn experienced a distressing fall during the women’s downhill event at the Milan-Cortina Games, resulting in an ACL injury that forced her to withdraw from competition. The incident occurred approximately one week after Vonn suffered the injury.

Vonn’s teammate, Breezy Johnson, secured gold in the event, with Emma Aicher of Germany taking silver and Sofia Goggia of Italy claiming bronze. According to provisional results, Johnson’s victory came on the Olimpia delle Tofane piste at Cortina d’Ampezzo.

The 41-year-old Vonn was seen crying in anguish and pain following her fall, which occurred after just 13 seconds into her descent. Medical staff attended to her on the course, and she was later transported away by helicopter as fans applauded her efforts.

Vonn had been competing despite suffering from a ruptured ACL in her left knee. She had previously announced plans to participate in the team combined event and super-G competitions but now faces an uncertain future due to the severity of her injury.

The 2010 Olympic downhill champion had returned to competition in November 2024 after undergoing surgery to partially replace her right knee, which had caused persistent pain. Vonn’s performance this season included podium finishes at every World Cup downhill event and victories in St Moritz and Zauchensee.

Source: Al Jazeera