Updated February 8, 2026 11:46AM
Lindsey Vonn Airlifted After Olympic Crash
The 41-year-old comeback queen of alpine skiing clipped a gate at the top of her run and was airlifted by helicopter.
Lindsey Vonn of Team United States crashes during the Women's Downhill on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre on February 08, 2026, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. (Photo: Screengrab by IOC/Getty Images)
Update February 8, 11:45 A.M. MT: Vonn is undergoing surgery to stabilize a fracture in her left leg, according to the Associated Press.
Lindsey Vonn crashed just 13.4 seconds into the Olympic downhill ski race on Sunday, February 8, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. It was nine days after she ruptured the ACL in her left knee. Vonn did not finish the final at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, and her condition is not known at the time of this writing.
NBC News reported that the skier remains under medical evaluation in Cortina. Paul Kristofic, Team USA’s head speed coach, said the team is awaiting an update on her condition.
Vonn clipped a gate at the top of her run, pushing her off course at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Area, the Olympics wrote on their website.
January 30, just days ahead of the Milan-Cortina Olympics, the champion of American ski racing ruptured the ACL in her left knee in a crash during a warmup run ahead of the Crans-Montana World Cup.
Vonn, 41, was attempting to become the oldest Alpine skier to win an Olympic medal. In an NBC video of the crash, Vonn is shown under blue skies, tapping her skis and poles at the gate before launching downhill. After she took a turn, she crashed and slid down the slope, lying on her back for several moments. Viewers and coaches were shown on-screen standing silently.
Medical personnel placed Vonn on a stretcher and airlifted her by helicopter to a nearby hospital.
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The day before her Olympic crash, the three-time Olympic medallist placed third in a training race—while skiing on her injured knee.
Fellow Team USA skier Breezy Johnson won the gold medal in the Alpin skiing shortly after Vonn was airlifted off the course. Johnson finished in a time of 1:36:10.
Outside interviewed Vonn in 2025, highlighting her career and many accomplishments.
“Ski racing is something I do, not who I am. It doesn’t define me, but I still genuinely love it,” she told Outside at the time. “It feels like home when I’m in the start gate. It doesn’t feel like I’ve been retired for six years—it’s what I’ve spent most of my life doing.”
This is a developing story.
