Winter Olympics icon Lindsey Vonn, 41, airlifted to hospital after brutal skiing crash in heavy snow just a week before the Games start

Lindsey Vonn was airlifted to hospital following a crash at the latest Alpine Skiing World Cup event in alarming scenes just days before the start of the Winter Olympics.

The 41-year-old American ski star lost control after jumping onto the piste in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, and then slid into safety nets.

After receiving medical attention for about 5 minutes, he stood up, seemingly in pain and using his poles to steady himself. Vonn then slowly skied toward the finish line, stopping several times and clutching her left knee on the way down.

Vonn is one of the most decorated skiers of all time and will be making an incredible return to the sport at next week’s Games. But now there are major concerns about whether he will be able to attend.

“I know he hurt his knee, I talked to him,” International Ski and Snowboard Federation CEO Urs Lehmann told reporters at the finish area.

‘I don’t know if he’s really heavy and if he’ll miss the Olympics. Let’s wait what the doctors say.’

The 41-year-old American major appeared to have injured his knee after crashing in Switzerland

Vonn repeatedly grabbed the back of her left knee after getting up from the accident

He underwent further evaluation inside the medical tent before being flown away. Organizers canceled the World Cup race following the crash due to constant snowfall.

One of his rivals, Frenchman Romane Miradoli, was alarmed by the conditions and visibility.

‘You don’t see it and it’s all ups and downs,’ he said. ‘We couldn’t see well.’

Miradoli was one of the few skiers to complete his run.

Vonn made a spectacular comeback last season at age 40 after nearly six years away from ski racing. The player, who skis with a partial titanium implant in his right knee, became the athlete with the most descents on the track, with two victories and three podium finishes in five races this season.

Including the Super-G, Vonn has completed eight World Cup races this season and finished on the podium in seven of them. His worst finish was fourth.

Vonn has won four World Cup all-around titles and is among the favorites in the women’s downhill races at the Winter Olympics, which start next week on Friday.

The US Ski and Snowboard team said in a statement Friday morning that Vonn was “being evaluated.”

Vonn received approximately five minutes of medical treatment before being able to stand up

In a recent interview with SELF, Vonn revealed that these Games in Italy will be her last no matter what.

‘No, no, no. That’s all he wrote. This is 24 years after my first Olympics. “I won everything I could win,” he said.

‘I’m not doing this to prove anything to anyone. I do this because I think I can do it well, this is a meaningful place for me, and I think I can make a positive impact… But I don’t have to.

‘I will stand at the starting gate with so much clarity, so much perspective, and so much wisdom and knowledge that you don’t have when you’re young.

‘I think my age is an advantage in this scenario and I will use it to the best of my ability.’

Vonn, who was previously with Tiger Woods and was once engaged to hockey player PK Subban, also said she was single for the first time in an Olympic competition.

‘I’ve never been to an Olympics alone in my life,’ he said. ‘So I’m excited to try this. ‘It was really nice to just focus on myself.’

She and golf great Woods split in 2015 after nearly three years together. ‘

“Unfortunately, we both lead incredibly hectic lives that force us to spend much of our time apart,” Vonn said at the time. ‘I will always admire and respect Tiger. ‘He and his beautiful family will always have a special place in my heart.’

Vonn’s crash that could have ruined her last Olympic dream was photographed from a distance

Vonn waved to the crowd after standing, but now faces a tense wait for news

Speaking in December, he was confident that the injuries he had struggled with so much in the past would be behind him.

‘Physically I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in,’ he said. ‘And my body doesn’t hurt, so that’s the best part.’

Over the summer, Vonn decided to rebuild her strength in the offseason, which she felt was missing for a 2024-25 comeback season.

‘My goal was to be much stronger this summer,’ he said. ‘Last season I was weaker than I wanted. I was still a bit lighter than when I was racing in my prime.’

But after “a lot of hard work,” Vonn says she was able to “gain about 12 pounds” in the off-season.

‘I was probably the most disciplined I’ve ever been with my nutrition, and I’ve been that way all summer long,’ the three-time Olympic medalist said. ‘I used everything I had to be as prepared as physically possible.’