Lindsey Vonn said her “Olympic dream is not over” after she injured her left knee while crashing on Friday during the final downhill race before the Milan Cortina Olympics.
The opening ceremony for the Olympics is one week away, with the women’s downhill event two days later.
Vonn, 41, lost her balance coming off of a jump in a downhill World Cup event in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, couldn’t recover and slid into the safety netting. She received medical attention for several minutes before using her poles to slowly ski toward the finish line, clutching her knee on a couple of occasions.
Vonn was airlifted via helicopter from the race area, with the U.S. Ski Team stating on social media that she was being “evaluated.”
Hours later, Vonn took to social media to provide an update on her physical and mental condition.
“I crashed today in the Downhill race in Switzerland and injured my left knee. I am discussing the situation with my doctors and team and will continue to undergo further exams,” Vonn wrote on Instagram.
“This is a very difficult outcome one week before the Olympics… but if there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s a comeback. My Olympic dream is not over. Thank you for all of the love and support. I will give more information when I have it.”
Friday’s race was canceled shortly after Vonn — the sixth skier — safely got to the bottom of the hill. Austria’s Nina Ortlieb and Norway’s Marte Monsen also crashed on Friday.
Vonn earned one gold (downhill) and one bronze (Super-G) at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and a bronze medal in the downhill at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
She retired after the 2019 world championships due to injuries. She subsequently received a partial replacement of her right knee and launched a comeback late in 2024.
Vonn has won the downhill twice this winter and leads the World Cup standings in the discipline. She had been considered a favorite to win the gold medal in the downhill in Italy, and it was expected she also would compete in the super-G and team combined event.
–Field Level Media
