Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic Downhill Bid Ends in Dramatic Crash

At 41, Vonn had worked hard to get back to the point where she could simply compete. She entered the race with a badly injured left knee, having torn her ACL only nine days earlier in a pre-Olympic World Cup event. Wearing a brace, she was chasing what many believed could be a final Olympic medal in her remarkable career. Instead, disaster struck almost immediately.

“She always pushes the edge, she crashes quite often because she is so close to that edge,” said the announcer team calling the action as Vonn lay in the snow.

As she was going around one of the turns, she clipped a gate while airborne and lost control after a jump, twisting her body in mid-flight and slamming her into the snow.

For several tense minutes, the race was halted while she was stabilized on the slope. Fans and fellow competitors looked on in silence as she was secured to a stretcher and lifted into a helicopter.

Vonn’s return to the Olympics had already inspired the skiing world. After retiring in 2019 due to ongoing injuries, including serious knee issues and a partial titanium replacement in her right knee, she mounted an unlikely comeback in 2024. She was called out by a few analysts questioning her desire to return, some suggesting she was searching for something. In a post less than 24 hours earlier, she responded to one of those people.

She noted:

“I’m sorry Greg but this is a very odd opinion piece. The pain and suffering is the point? I’m searching for meaning? Why am I taking risk “at my age?” This ageism stuff is getting really old. My life does not revolve around ski racing. I am a woman that loves to ski. I don’t have an identity issue, I know exactly who I am. I was retired for 6 years and I have an amazing life. I don’t need to ski, but I love to ski. I came all this way for one final Olympics and I’m going to go and do my best, ACL or no. It’s as simple as that. And respectfully, if you don’t know the story, it might be best not to make assumptions.”

Simply reaching her fifth Olympic Games was seen as a testament to her resilience. The crash, however, ended her medal hopes and cast uncertainty over her future.

While teammate Breezy Johnson went on to win gold for the United States, attention remained firmly on Vonn. U.S. Ski and Snowboard officials said she is undergoing evaluation, with no immediate word on additional injuries.

For now, fans are left hoping for her recovery—and wondering if this painful moment may mark the final chapter of her competitive career.