Lindsey Vonn’s defiant bid to win the Winter Olympics in downhill at the age of 41, with a rebuilt right knee and a badly injured left knee, ended Sunday in a terrifying crash in which she was whisked to safety for the second time in nine days by a rescue helicopter.

Vonn lost control moments after leaving the starting gate, hooked the gate with her right shoulder and started down the slope before ending up awkwardly on her back, her skis crossing beneath her, her screams echoing shortly after medical personnel arrived. She was treated for long, anxious minutes as silence fell over the crowd waiting far down at the finish line.

She was strapped to a cart and flew away, possibly ending the skier’s legendary career. Her condition was not immediately known, and the U.S. Ski Team said simply that she would be evaluated.

“She’ll be fine, but it’s going to be a bit of a process,” said Anouk Patty, director of sports for US Ski and Snowboard. “This sport is brutal and people have to remember when they’re watching (that) these athletes are throwing themselves down the mountain and going really, really fast.”

Breezy Johnson, Vonn’s teammate, became only the second American woman to win an Olympic downhill since Vonn did it 16 years ago. The 30-year-old Johnson held off Germany’s Emma Aicher and Italy’s Sofia Goggia on a bittersweet day for the team.

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“I don’t claim to know what she’s going through, but I know what it’s like to be here, fighting for the Olympics, and having this track burn you and watch your dreams die,” said Johnson, whose injury at Cortina in 2022 dashed hopes of skating at the Beijing Olympics. “I can’t imagine the pain she’s going through and it’s not physical pain – we can deal with physical pain – but emotional pain is something else.”

Vonn had family in the stands, including her father, Alan Kildow, who looked down as his daughter received treatment after just 13 seconds on the track where she holds a record 12 World Cup titles. Others in the crowd, including rapper Snoop Dogg, watched quietly as the star skier was finally taken off the slopes. Another American star, Mikaela Shiffrin, posted a heartbroken emoticon on social media.

Vonn’s accident was “tragic, but it’s a ski race,” said Johan Eliasch, president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation.

“I can only say thank you for what she has done for our sport,” he said, “because this race was the headliner and put our sport in the best possible light.”

All eyes were on Vonn, a feel-good story heading into the Olympics. Last season she returned to elite ski racing after nearly six years, a remarkable decision considering her age, but she also had a partial titanium knee replacement in her right knee. Many wondered how she would fare as she sought a gold medal to go along with the one she won in the downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

The four-time overall World Cup champion stunned everyone by becoming a contender almost immediately. She came into the Olympics leading the World Cup downhill standings and was a gold medal favorite before her crash in Switzerland nine days ago, when she suffered the latest knee injury. In addition to the ACL tear, she also had bone bruising and meniscus damage.

However, even then no one counted her. True, she skied through injuries for three decades at the top of the sport. In 2006, on the eve of the Turin Olympics, Vonn took a bad fall during downhill training and went to the hospital. She competed less than 48 hours later, racing in all four events she had planned, with a best finish of seventh in the super-Gu.

In addition to record wins, Cortina held many precious memories for Vonn. They call her the Queen of Cortina, and Olympia delle Tofana is a track that has always suited Vonn. She tested the knee twice on the downhill in the last three days before Sunday’s horrific crash in clear, sunny conditions.

“This would be my best comeback yet,” Vonn said before the race. “Definitely the most dramatic.”

News of the accident spread quickly, including in the fan zone down the mountain in Cortina.

“It’s such a big loss and a shame,” said American Megan Gunyou. “I want to hear her story and just as redemption for her first fall and as fighting to get back to the Olympics this year, I mean, I’m very sad for her.”

© 2026 The Canadian Press