Wearing the red jersey as the overall standings leader in the women’s downhill competition this winter, Lindsey Vonn was unable to finish the last race before the Winter Olympics. The 41-year-old crashed around 20 seconds into her run on the Crans-Montana course in Switzerland.
Vonn was the third starter out of the first six to crash out of the competition. After she went down, the race was suspended.
The American star, who is looking for her second Olympic gold in next month’s event in Italy, suffered injuries to her left leg and knee, her coach, former downhill racer Aksel Lund Svindal, told reporters after the race.
The severity of the injuries will have to be determined in follow-up examination by medical experts, Svindal added. He also said that remains positive, despite Vonn being in “a bit of pain.”
Vonn’s crash occurred in a right-hand corner following a jump. She lost some her balance and slid out into the safety netting, having to be freed by race personnel.
She eventually was able to ride to the finish area under her own power. The crash nonetheless casts a cloud over her appearance in the Olympic downhill competition set to take place on Feb. 8 in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
One of the most successful alpine skiers of all time, Vonn originally retired in 2020. However, she made a comeback in 2024 and slowly reclaimed her former spot among the world’s elite. This season so far, she became the oldest downhill World Cup winner and entered Friday having beaten the field in two of the first five races of the year.
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