U.S. alpine skiing star Lindsey Vonn was stable after surgery following a hard crash 13 seconds into her run in the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics women’s downhill, organizers said.
Vonn fell on Feb. 8 (local time) at the Tofane Alpine Ski Center in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, and did not finish the race.
She lost control on the second turn when her right arm struck a gate, then slammed into the snow and tumbled. Vonn could not get up. Medical staff assessed her on the course before she was flown by helicopter to a hospital.
She was taken to an intensive care unit at a hospital in the Cortina area for initial treatment and later transferred to a large hospital in Treviso. The hospital said in a statement that orthopedic surgeons operated to stabilize a fracture in her left leg. U.S. Ski & Snowboard said Vonn was in stable condition and was receiving intensive care from U.S. and Italian medical teams.
Vonn won her first Olympic gold medal in the downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Games and retired in 2019. She returned to competition in the 2024-2025 season to prepare for these Winter Olympics. But on Jan. 30, she injured her left knee after a jump landing during a World Cup race in Switzerland and was also evacuated by helicopter.
Vonn completed two training runs on the Olympic course, raising expectations, but the injury is expected to make it difficult for her to compete in the rest of the Games.
International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry wished her a speedy recovery, saying, “Lindsey Vonn is always an Olympic champion and a symbol of inspiration.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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