Lindsey Vonn's Olympic Comeback Ends in Dramatic Downhill Crash at Cortina

Lindsey Vonn's bid to reclaim Olympic glory ended in devastating fashion on Sunday when the 41-year-old American crashed out of the women's downhill at Cortina d'Ampezzo, requiring helicopter evacuation and emergency surgery on a fractured left leg Germany's Aicher wins Olympic ski silver as Vonn crashesdw.com·SecondaryGerman skier Emma Aicher won silver in a dramatic Olympic downhill race in Italy's Cortina d'Ampezzo on Sunday, securing Germany's first medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, celebrations on the podium were somewhat overshadowed after US star Lindsey Vonn suffered a fall and was taken to the hospital. Aicher finished second in the downhill, earning a silver for Germany. The 22-year-old was beaten by just 0.04 seconds by US world champion Breezy Johnson, who clinched gold..

The crash, which occurred just 13 seconds after Vonn left the start gate, overshadowed teammate Breezy Johnson's gold medal performance and cast a sombre mood over one of the most anticipated events of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics Germany's Aicher wins Olympic ski silver as Vonn crashesdw.com·SecondaryGerman skier Emma Aicher won silver in a dramatic Olympic downhill race in Italy's Cortina d'Ampezzo on Sunday, securing Germany's first medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, celebrations on the podium were somewhat overshadowed after US star Lindsey Vonn suffered a fall and was taken to the hospital. Aicher finished second in the downhill, earning a silver for Germany. The 22-year-old was beaten by just 0.04 seconds by US world champion Breezy Johnson, who clinched gold..

A Violent Fall on a Familiar Course

Vonn, who had torn a left knee ligament just nine days before the race at a World Cup event in Crans-Montana, hit the snow face first shortly after pushing off . She rolled down the slope with her skis still attached before coming to rest on the Olimpia delle Tofane piste — a course where she had won multiple World Cup races during her career Germany's Aicher wins Olympic ski silver as Vonn crashesdw.com·SecondaryGerman skier Emma Aicher won silver in a dramatic Olympic downhill race in Italy's Cortina d'Ampezzo on Sunday, securing Germany's first medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, celebrations on the podium were somewhat overshadowed after US star Lindsey Vonn suffered a fall and was taken to the hospital. Aicher finished second in the downhill, earning a silver for Germany. The 22-year-old was beaten by just 0.04 seconds by US world champion Breezy Johnson, who clinched gold..

Medical staff quickly surrounded the skier on the slope. Rescue services evacuated her by helicopter using a winch as spectators in the stands stood and applauded Germany's Aicher wins Olympic ski silver as Vonn crashesdw.com·SecondaryGerman skier Emma Aicher won silver in a dramatic Olympic downhill race in Italy's Cortina d'Ampezzo on Sunday, securing Germany's first medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, celebrations on the podium were somewhat overshadowed after US star Lindsey Vonn suffered a fall and was taken to the hospital. Aicher finished second in the downhill, earning a silver for Germany. The 22-year-old was beaten by just 0.04 seconds by US world champion Breezy Johnson, who clinched gold..

The Ca' Foncello hospital in Treviso confirmed that evening that Vonn had undergone "surgery to stabilise a fracture of the left leg" US Vonn’s Olympic comeback ends in dramatic downhill crashfrance24.com·SecondaryAmerican skiing legend Lindsey Vonn’s bid for a fairytale Olympic comeback ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday after she crashed out of the women’s downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo, leaving the race won by her US teammate Breezy Johnson overshadowed by fears the 41-year-old’s career may be over.. She had been entered in the team combined event on Tuesday and the super-G later in the week, but the US Ski and Snowboard team confirmed both entries had been withdrawn US Vonn’s Olympic comeback ends in dramatic downhill crashfrance24.com·SecondaryAmerican skiing legend Lindsey Vonn’s bid for a fairytale Olympic comeback ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday after she crashed out of the women’s downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo, leaving the race won by her US teammate Breezy Johnson overshadowed by fears the 41-year-old’s career may be over..

"That definitely was the last thing we wanted to see," Vonn's sister Karin Kildow told NBC. "She always goes 110 percent, there's never anything less, so I know she put her whole heart into it and sometimes things happen. It's a very dangerous sport" US Vonn’s Olympic comeback ends in dramatic downhill crashfrance24.com·SecondaryAmerican skiing legend Lindsey Vonn’s bid for a fairytale Olympic comeback ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday after she crashed out of the women’s downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo, leaving the race won by her US teammate Breezy Johnson overshadowed by fears the 41-year-old’s career may be over..

Johnson Delivers a Dominant Gold

Reigning world downhill champion Breezy Johnson had already posted the leading time before Vonn's crash, completing an aggressive run that held up against a field of 36 starters US Vonn’s Olympic comeback ends in dramatic downhill crashfrance24.com·SecondaryAmerican skiing legend Lindsey Vonn’s bid for a fairytale Olympic comeback ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday after she crashed out of the women’s downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo, leaving the race won by her US teammate Breezy Johnson overshadowed by fears the 41-year-old’s career may be over..

Johnson finished 0.04 seconds ahead of Germany's Emma Aicher, who claimed silver — Germany's first individual Olympic skiing medal in 12 years . Italy's Sofia Goggia took bronze in front of a home crowd at the venue that also hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics Germany's Aicher wins Olympic ski silver as Vonn crashesdw.com·SecondaryGerman skier Emma Aicher won silver in a dramatic Olympic downhill race in Italy's Cortina d'Ampezzo on Sunday, securing Germany's first medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, celebrations on the podium were somewhat overshadowed after US star Lindsey Vonn suffered a fall and was taken to the hospital. Aicher finished second in the downhill, earning a silver for Germany. The 22-year-old was beaten by just 0.04 seconds by US world champion Breezy Johnson, who clinched gold..

"My heart goes out to her. I hope it's not as bad as it looked," Johnson said of her teammate Germany's Aicher wins Olympic ski silver as Vonn crashesdw.com·SecondaryGerman skier Emma Aicher won silver in a dramatic Olympic downhill race in Italy's Cortina d'Ampezzo on Sunday, securing Germany's first medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, celebrations on the podium were somewhat overshadowed after US star Lindsey Vonn suffered a fall and was taken to the hospital. Aicher finished second in the downhill, earning a silver for Germany. The 22-year-old was beaten by just 0.04 seconds by US world champion Breezy Johnson, who clinched gold..

Aicher, 22, said the course had been unforgiving. "It just felt absolutely wild. Every jump kind of tore me apart. To be honest, I didn't think it would work out after the run," she told German broadcaster ZDF Germany's Aicher wins Olympic ski silver as Vonn crashesdw.com·SecondaryGerman skier Emma Aicher won silver in a dramatic Olympic downhill race in Italy's Cortina d'Ampezzo on Sunday, securing Germany's first medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, celebrations on the podium were somewhat overshadowed after US star Lindsey Vonn suffered a fall and was taken to the hospital. Aicher finished second in the downhill, earning a silver for Germany. The 22-year-old was beaten by just 0.04 seconds by US world champion Breezy Johnson, who clinched gold.. On Vonn's fall, she added: "I immediately looked away; I hope it's nothing serious" Germany's Aicher wins Olympic ski silver as Vonn crashesdw.com·SecondaryGerman skier Emma Aicher won silver in a dramatic Olympic downhill race in Italy's Cortina d'Ampezzo on Sunday, securing Germany's first medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, celebrations on the podium were somewhat overshadowed after US star Lindsey Vonn suffered a fall and was taken to the hospital. Aicher finished second in the downhill, earning a silver for Germany. The 22-year-old was beaten by just 0.04 seconds by US world champion Breezy Johnson, who clinched gold..

The Scope of Vonn's Comeback

Vonn retired from competitive skiing in 2019 after a career that included the 2010 Olympic downhill gold in Vancouver, 82 World Cup victories and four overall World Cup titles US Vonn’s Olympic comeback ends in dramatic downhill crashfrance24.com·SecondaryAmerican skiing legend Lindsey Vonn’s bid for a fairytale Olympic comeback ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday after she crashed out of the women’s downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo, leaving the race won by her US teammate Breezy Johnson overshadowed by fears the 41-year-old’s career may be over.. She returned to competition in November 2024 following surgery to partially replace her right knee, a procedure she said finally addressed chronic pain that had plagued her for years US Vonn’s Olympic comeback ends in dramatic downhill crashfrance24.com·SecondaryAmerican skiing legend Lindsey Vonn’s bid for a fairytale Olympic comeback ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday after she crashed out of the women’s downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo, leaving the race won by her US teammate Breezy Johnson overshadowed by fears the 41-year-old’s career may be over..

The comeback produced results that defied expectations. Vonn finished on the podium in every World Cup downhill race this season, including victories at St. Moritz and Zauchensee, plus two more top-three finishes in the super-G US Vonn’s Olympic comeback ends in dramatic downhill crashfrance24.com·SecondaryAmerican skiing legend Lindsey Vonn’s bid for a fairytale Olympic comeback ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday after she crashed out of the women’s downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo, leaving the race won by her US teammate Breezy Johnson overshadowed by fears the 41-year-old’s career may be over.. At 41, she was competing against — and regularly beating — skiers half her age, including Aicher Germany's Aicher wins Olympic ski silver as Vonn crashesdw.com·SecondaryGerman skier Emma Aicher won silver in a dramatic Olympic downhill race in Italy's Cortina d'Ampezzo on Sunday, securing Germany's first medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, celebrations on the podium were somewhat overshadowed after US star Lindsey Vonn suffered a fall and was taken to the hospital. Aicher finished second in the downhill, earning a silver for Germany. The 22-year-old was beaten by just 0.04 seconds by US world champion Breezy Johnson, who clinched gold..

Her ACL tear at Crans-Montana in late January had placed the Olympic start in doubt, but Vonn and her medical team determined the knee was stable enough to race US Vonn’s Olympic comeback ends in dramatic downhill crashfrance24.com·SecondaryAmerican skiing legend Lindsey Vonn’s bid for a fairytale Olympic comeback ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday after she crashed out of the women’s downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo, leaving the race won by her US teammate Breezy Johnson overshadowed by fears the 41-year-old’s career may be over.. International Ski Federation president Johan Eliasch, speaking from Cortina, called the crash "tragic, but it's ski racing I'm afraid" US Vonn’s Olympic comeback ends in dramatic downhill crashfrance24.com·SecondaryAmerican skiing legend Lindsey Vonn’s bid for a fairytale Olympic comeback ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday after she crashed out of the women’s downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo, leaving the race won by her US teammate Breezy Johnson overshadowed by fears the 41-year-old’s career may be over..

"I can only say thank you for what she has done for our sport because this race has been the talk of the Games, and it's put our sport in the best possible light," Eliasch added US Vonn’s Olympic comeback ends in dramatic downhill crashfrance24.com·SecondaryAmerican skiing legend Lindsey Vonn’s bid for a fairytale Olympic comeback ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday after she crashed out of the women’s downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo, leaving the race won by her US teammate Breezy Johnson overshadowed by fears the 41-year-old’s career may be over..

Reactions From the US Camp

Fourth-placed American Jacqueline Wiles, who finished just 0.27 seconds off the podium, described the emotional toll. "We have such a sisterhood, we travel with each other on the road, we're a family," she said. "To watch someone that you care about so much, it really sucks. My heart kind of just broke for her in that moment. But that's the inherent risk of this sport" US Vonn’s Olympic comeback ends in dramatic downhill crashfrance24.com·SecondaryAmerican skiing legend Lindsey Vonn’s bid for a fairytale Olympic comeback ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday after she crashed out of the women’s downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo, leaving the race won by her US teammate Breezy Johnson overshadowed by fears the 41-year-old’s career may be over..

US Ski and Snowboard said in a statement that Vonn was "resting comfortably" after surgery and that further updates on her condition would follow US Vonn’s Olympic comeback ends in dramatic downhill crashfrance24.com·SecondaryAmerican skiing legend Lindsey Vonn’s bid for a fairytale Olympic comeback ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday after she crashed out of the women’s downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo, leaving the race won by her US teammate Breezy Johnson overshadowed by fears the 41-year-old’s career may be over.. The organisation did not speculate on whether Sunday's race would be Vonn's last.