Lindsey Vonn was airlifted to a hospital after crashing in her final Alpine Skiing World Cup race before the Winter Olympics, triggering alarm just days before the Games are set to begin.
The 41-year-old American lost control after landing a jump on the course in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, then skidded hard into the safety netting. Vonn remained down as medical personnel attended to her for about five minutes.
She eventually got back on her feet, clearly in pain, using her ski poles for balance. Vonn skied slowly to the finish, stopping multiple times and clutching the back of her left knee.
Her condition worsened enough that she was later assessed inside a medical tent and airlifted from the course. Organizers canceled the remainder of the World Cup race because of heavy snowfall and poor visibility.
‘I know she hurt her knee, I talked to her,’ International Ski and Snowboard Federation CEO Urs Lehmann told reporters at the finish area. ‘I don’t know if it’s really heavy and (if) she won´t miss the Olympics. Let’s wait for what the doctors are saying.’
Fellow competitor Romane Miradoli of France raised concerns about the conditions.
‘You can’t see, and it’s bumpy everywhere,’ Miradoli said. ‘We just couldn’t see well.’
The crash cast a shadow over what had been one of the most remarkable comebacks in the sport. Vonn returned to elite competition last season after nearly six years away, racing with a partial titanium implant in her right knee. Despite her age, she has been dominant, leading the downhill standings with two wins and three additional podium finishes in five races.
Including super-G, Vonn has finished on the podium in seven of eight World Cup starts this season, never placing lower than fourth. She is a four-time overall World Cup champion and entered the Olympics as a favorite in the women’s downhill.
Wishing Lindsey Vonn a speedy recovery following her crash in Crans-Montana ❤️ pic.twitter.com/hZ6PcPVvW3
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) January 30, 2026
U.S. Ski and Snowboard said only that Vonn is ‘being evaluated.’
In a recent interview with SELF, Vonn said the upcoming Olympics in Italy would be her final Games.
‘No, no, no. That’s all she wrote. This is 24 years after my first Olympics. I’ve won everything I could have ever won,’ she said.
‘I’m not doing this to prove anything to anyone,’ Vonn added. ‘I’m doing this because I think I can do well.’
Vonn also said she is entering the Olympics single for the first time.
‘I have never been single going into any Olympics in my life,’ she said. ‘So I’m excited to try that out.’
She expressed confidence in December that her long history of injuries was behind her.
‘Physically, I’m in possibly the best shape I’ve ever been in,’ Vonn said. ‘And my body doesn’t hurt, so that’s the best part of all.’
Now, with the opening ceremony days away, her Olympic future hangs in the balance.
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