Skiing legend Lindsey Vonn, 41, CRASHES out of Winter Olympics as fairytale comeback ends in heartbreak – after American opted to compete despite rupturing her ACL
Lindsey Vonn’s return to the Winter Olympics ended in heartbreak after the American star crashed in the women’s downhill final.
The former Olympic champion, 41, was competing in Cortina after a six-year break from the sport and just nine days after she ruptured the cruciate ligament in her left knee in a training running accident ahead of the Games.
Vonn appeared to lose control as she rounded the second turn just 13 seconds into her run.
The 41-year-old driver sped over a hill and hit one of the plastic signs at the edge of the track before crashing to the ground. Her right leg appeared to hit the ground first, and as Vonn rolled forward, she was also seen hitting her shoulder on the ground.
The Cortina crowd fell silent as medical teams rushed to attend to Vonn, who was later flown down from the mountain.
Immediately after the accident, the American was seen lying on the ground with his skis still attached and looking in pain, grimacing as his head tilted back.
In the terrifying scenes, Vonn was also heard crying in pain as paramedics attended to her on the slope.
The 41-year-old defied the impossible by returning to compete after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament before the games, completing numerous training sessions in preparation for Sunday’s event.
He had decided to compete in 2024 despite having a knee reconstruction and no anterior cruciate ligament in his left leg.
Vonn’s coach was heard yelling “keep attacking, keep pushing” as she walked out the door.
It took some time for paramedics to treat Vonn on the slopes, but the American was eventually placed on a stretcher.
Organizers played background music over skiers’ screams in harrowing scenes.
The downhill race was later suspended when other competitors took off their skis at the top of the track.
BBC pundit and former alpine skier Chemmy Alcott was disturbed by the scenes in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
“I feel guilty for being so emotional,” Alcott told the BBC. ‘I never believed it would end up in a motionless pile on the trackside. We saw that the top of the track was really difficult for a fit athlete, he had just lost his right knee. Cruelly, think about his family, his team and himself.
‘We have to be realistic. The risk was really high, when he falls the risk he takes will double that, his body won’t be able to handle it. There’s applause and there’s hope that it will be okay, but they put background music because it’s disturbing.’
Vonn’s teammate Breezy Johnson covered her face as a replay of the crash played on big screens at the 2,650-meter Olympia delle Tofane track in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
‘Breezy Johnson won’t enjoy sitting there’ [gold medal] President,’ Alcott added to the BBC. ‘We all know what Lindsey did to our sport. Lindsey was an early chest trick and the temperature is rising, so the next athletes will be taking a big risk.
‘This means the surface won’t be as stable and confidence in the ski won’t be as good.’
Austrian star Nina Ortleib would also fall during her run after Vonn was evacuated from the runway.
Ortleib appeared to leap into the air after going over a bump in the final third of his downhill run. He landed in the middle of the slope before losing control and the Austrian fell to the ground, sliding down about 10 meters.
Luckily, Ortleib stood up and began skiing down the mountain.
More to follow….
