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Lindsey Vonn crashed in her final World Cup downhill before the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday, leaving the American skiing great limping and clutching her left knee as organizers abandoned the race amid worsening conditions.
The 41-year-old lost control after landing a jump on the upper section of the course in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, skidding sideways into the safety netting as snow fell steadily and visibility deteriorated. Vonn’s airbag deployed on impact and she remained down for several moments while medical staff attended to her on the piste.
Vonn eventually stood and was able to ski away, but did so gingerly. She repeatedly took weight off her left leg, using her poles to steady herself, and stopped several times on the run down to check her knee. At the finish area she was met by teammate Jacqueline Wiles, with the two sharing a long embrace before Vonn limped into a medical tent for further evaluation. She was later airlifted from the finish area by helicopter, suspended by rope as she was transported away across the Swiss Alps.
Race officials cancelled the downhill shortly after Vonn’s crash, with three of the first six skiers having fallen in difficult conditions on a course that had already been shortened because of the weather. Austria’s Nina Ortlieb crashed in the same upper section as Vonn but was able to ski away, while Norway’s Marte Monsen hit the nets near the bottom of the course and was taken away on a stretcher with facial injuries.
Romane Miradoli of France, one of the few skiers to complete her run, said visibility was a major issue. “You can’t see, and it’s bumpy everywhere,” she said. Asked whether conditions were dangerous, Miradoli added: “We just couldn’t see well.”
Vonn had been the sixth starter and the first of the seeded racers to leave the gate. She was leading at the first checkpoint before landing a jump off balance, lifting her left arm and pole high in an attempt to regain control. As she tried to brake, she was spun around and slid into the safety fencing.
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The crash came exactly one week before the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina Games, where Vonn is scheduled to compete in the women’s downhill on 8 February. She is also entered in the super-G and the new team combined event. The women’s alpine events will be held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, a venue where Vonn has enjoyed some of the greatest success of her career, with a record 12 World Cup victories.
Any injury at this stage would be a major concern for the United States team and for Olympic organizers, who have billed Vonn as one of the standout stars of the Games. A US Ski and Snowboard spokesperson said Vonn was being evaluated following the fall.
Vonn has been in outstanding form this season, leading the World Cup downhill standings with five podium finishes from five races, including two victories. Her performances have underpinned an unlikely return to the top of the sport following a partial knee replacement on her right leg less than two years ago. She came out of retirement last season after nearly six years away from competition and has described her physical condition as the best it has been in years.
The fall also revived memories of a career marked by serious injuries. Vonn tore the ligaments in her right knee in a high-speed crash at the 2013 world championships and was airlifted from the course. She suffered further damage the following season and missed the 2014 Sochi Olympics as a result. Over the course of her career she has also broken arms and legs and sustained a concussion.
Despite those setbacks, Vonn remains one of the most decorated skiers in history. She won Olympic downhill gold at the 2010 Vancouver Games, eight years after making her Olympic debut as a teenager in Salt Lake City. Along with teammate Mikaela Shiffrin, she is among the most successful female World Cup racers of all time.
Friday’s race in Crans-Montana was due to be the final competitive downhill before Olympic training begins next week, with the first official downhill training run scheduled for Wednesday.
