CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- American skiing legend Lindsey Vonn was airlifted from the Olimpia delle Tofane piste after suffering a severe crash during the women's alpine skiing downhill at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday.
The 41-year-old former Olympic champion, who was 13th to start, crashed just 13 seconds into her run. Vonn lost control after landing from a jump, fell and tumbled down the slope, prompting an immediate suspension of the race as medics rushed to the site.
Approximately 12 minutes later, a rescue helicopter arrived above the piste and transported Vonn away for further medical evaluation.
Slow-motion television replays suggested that Vonn may have struck her head in the fall. Her condition was not immediately known.
Vonn won the women's downhill gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and retired in 2019 due to knee injuries. She announced her return to competition in November 2024.
Vonn had entered the Olympic downhill in strong form. She finished on the podium in every World Cup downhill race she competed in this season, including two victories.
Nine days before competing at the Milan-Cortina Games, Vonn suffered a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee but chose to continue and take part in the Olympic event.
"Unfortunately, in my career, I've had a lot of challenges. I have always pushed the limits and in downhill, it's a very dangerous sport, and anything can happen. And because I push the limits, I crash and I've been injured more times than I would like to admit, to myself even," she said before Sunday's race. ■
