It was over sooner than expected, and in heartbreaking fashion.
Quickly after leaving the start gate, Lindsey Vonn flew off a roll on the women’s Olympic downhill course and failed to stick the landing early Sunday morning on a sunny, clear day in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
The crowd was completely silent for the decorated US skier, who had completed a pair of training runs just a week after completely rupturing her ACL in her left knee.
Following the crash, Vonn was down on the course for several minutes and the race was put on hold while medical personnel tended to her.
The 41-year-old was eventually airlifted off the course, and fellow racers and fans cheered for the three-time Olympic medalist.
After about 20 minutes, the race resumed and U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team announced that Vonn is currently being “evaluated by medical staff.”
Broadcast cameras panned to Vonn’s family, including her father Alan Kildow and her four younger siblings.
“That was definitely the last thing we wanted to see. It happened quick…” Vonn’s sister Karin Kildow said to NBC. “She just dared greatly. She put it all out there. It’s really hard to see but we hope she is okay.”
“I know she put her whole heart into it and sometimes things just happen. It’s a very dangerous sport,” she added. The sister was unaware of what’s next for Vonn, but the family plans to meet her at whatever hospital she is headed to.
Three-time Olympic medalist Mikaela Shiffrin posted a broken heart and prayer hands while tagging Vonn in a post on X.
Vonn was willing to risk absolutely everything for another chance at gold, and the effort has brought the Olympic comeback that has captivated the world to a crushing end.
American Breezy Johnson — the defending world champion and the racer who paced the field in Saturday’s training run — took over the top of the podium with a time of 1:36.10 after being the sixth racer to go down the course.
Johnson took first place, followed by Germany’s Emma Aicher (1:36.14) and Italy’s Sofia Goggia (1:36.69). Fellow American Jackie Wiles finished in fourth place, just missing the podium with a time of 1:36.96.
Vonn previously won gold in the women’s downhill at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010. She also holds a bronze from the 2010 Super-G and a bronze in the 2018 downhill in Pyeongchang.
