American skiing legend Lindsey Vonn is in a stable condition after undergoing surgery on a leg fracture sustained in a horror crash during the Winter Olympics downhill event. The 41-year-old, who had already ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) nine days earlier, crashed hard on the Olympia delle Tofane course in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Vonn was the 13th racer to take to the course, where she has won a record 12 World Cups. She lost control after overshooting a turn at approximately 60mph, catching her shoulder on the fourth gate. Her injured left leg, which has no functioning ACL, gave way, causing her to crash heavily.
Medics attended to her promptly, and she was airlifted to a clinic in Cortina before being transferred to Ca Foncello hospital in Treviso, around 130km away. The hospital later confirmed she had undergone “orthopedic surgery to stabilize the fracture she sustained in her left leg”. The US Ski and Snowboard team described her as “in stable condition and in good hands”.
The crash likely ends Vonn's Olympic career, as she was also scheduled to compete in the super-G and Alpine combined events. Teammate Breezy Johnson, a close friend, won gold in the downhill, with Emma Aicher of Germany taking silver and Italy's Sofia Goggia bronze. Johnson, who missed the 2022 Olympics with an ACL tear, said: “My heart aches for [Vonn]. It’s a tough road and it’s a tough sport.”
