Lindsey Vonn’s preparations for the Winter Olympics were thrown into doubt after the American skiing legend crashed hard during a World Cup downhill race in Switzerland, injuring her left knee just one week before the Games began. The 41-year-old lost control early in Friday’s downhill in Crans-Montana, skidding into the safety nets after landing awkwardly off a jump.
Vonn needed several minutes of medical attention on the slope before slowly getting to her feet, visibly favoring her left knee. According to a report by Yahoo Sports, she eventually made her way down the course at reduced speed, stopping multiple times, before limping into a medical tent and being airlifted out by helicopter. Not long ago, the Winter Olympics faced some drama with the NHL as well.
The incident immediately caused worries, given the timing, with the Milan Cortina Olympics set to open in just days. Vonn later addressed the scare herself in a post on her Instagram, saying she is “discussing the situation with my doctors and team” and will undergo further medical examinations. “This is a very difficult outcome one week before the Olympics,” Vonn wrote. “But if there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s a comeback. My Olympic dream is not over.”
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The Race Was Called Off After Multiple Crashes
Vonn was not the only skier to struggle in Crans-Montana. She became the third athlete to crash in what quickly turned into a chaotic and dangerous race. Conditions deteriorated rapidly, prompting officials to cancel the event shortly after her fall.
Women’s World Cup Race Director Peter Gerdol explained that worsening visibility made the downhill course increasingly unsafe. All six skiers who started the race made visible mistakes, a red flag for officials tasked with athlete safety. “The visibility was getting worse and worse,” Gerdol said. “They couldn’t see the race line properly, and it caused mistakes. We know that our sport is a risky sport, but the feeling was too much risk.”
The decision to stop the race showed just how treacherous the conditions had become, adding context to Vonn’s crash and the worry surrounding her injury. The timing of the fall is especially cruel given the remarkable comeback Vonn has already staged. After retiring from competitive skiing in 2019, she appeared finished with elite racing following years of chronic knee problems and multiple surgeries. The Winter Olympics saw even more controversy as a U.S.-born athlete actually decided to represent China.
That changed after the 2022 Beijing Olympics, when watching from home reignited her competitive drive. Vonn committed to an unlikely return, undergoing knee replacement surgery in 2024 to give herself one last shot at racing’s biggest stage. Skepticism followed her every move, but she silenced doubts in December by winning her first World Cup race in nearly six years. She backed that up with another victory earlier this month, firmly reestablishing herself as a legitimate Olympic contender rather than a ceremonial returnee.
The Milan Cortina Olympics were turning out to be the final chapter in that legacy, with the women’s downhill scheduled for Feb. 8 at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Published: Jan 30, 2026 01:37 pm