Lindsey Vonn, one of the most successful skiers in history, was airlifted to hospital after a sickening crash just 12 seconds into the Olympic downhill race in Cortina d'Ampezzo. The American, who came out of a five-year retirement to compete in her fifth Games, broke her left leg and underwent surgery. The USA team confirmed she was in a stable condition.
Vonn's legs gave way as she rode a bump, causing her to twist, fall and tumble. The crowd fell silent in shock. Her teammate Breezy Johnson, who covered her eyes, went on to win the gold medal in 1min 36.10sec, just four hundredths ahead of Germany's Emma Aicher. Home favourite Sofia Goggia took bronze.
The race was delayed as Vonn was evacuated by air ambulance. Her coach told Johnson that Vonn had been cheering from the helicopter. Later, Andorran skier Cande Moreno also crashed, requiring the air ambulance again. 'It's tragic, but it's ski racing I'm afraid,' said Johan Eliasch, chair of the international skiing federation.
Vonn had retired in 2019 with a 'broken' body, having suffered multiple fractures. She returned after a knee replacement last year, but ruptured her ACL in a crash in Switzerland the previous week. 'She really nailed the turn, but she was too close to it,' said Norwegian skier Kajsa Vickhoff Lie. 'She was a little bit over the limit.'
'My heart aches for her,' Johnson said, 'but that's the madness of this sport.' Double Olympic champion Tina Maze commented: 'In the end she risked too much.' Vonn once wrote: 'Whenever I was injured, my internal drive shifted... I could overcome anything.'
