41-year-old Lindsey Vonn competed in the Winter Olympics despite a torn ACL, but her run ended quickly with a crash and airlift off the mountain.
Anyone following the story of Lindsey Vonn over the last nine days has seen a complete, defiant, and fearless feat by the 41-year-old alpine ski racer. The four-time World Cup champion came to the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics as the gold medal favorite before a crash in Switzerland nine days ago led to her tearing her ACL. Vonn had returned to the sport last season after a near six-year hiatus, and with a partial titanium knee replacement in her right knee. She continued to defy odds after her ruptured ACL, unwaning in her resolve to compete in what were likely her last Olympics.
Unfortunately, the dangers of the sport were illustrated on her downhill race with a torn ACL on Sunday that ended in a scary crash, and Vonn had to be taken off the mountain by a rescue helicopter for the second time in that nine-day span. Vonn seemed to lose control at the start when she clipped a gate with her right shoulder, leaving her to tumble chaotically down the slop with her skis stuck in a crisscross under her while on her back, unfortunately with Vonn’s screams echoing as medical personnel arrived. The crowd was silent as Vonn was treated for several minutes before being strapped to a gurney and airlifted out. She was immediately taken to a clinic before being transferred to a larger hospital in Treviso, where she underwent an “orthopedic operation to stabilize a fracture reported in her left leg,” according to the Ca' Foncello hospital in a statement.
While Vonn wouldn’t go on to win her last gold, her teammate managed to cap off a bittersweet day. Breezy Johnson became the second American woman – the first being Vonn 16 years ago – to win the Olympic downhill, fending off pushes by Germany’s Emma Aicher and Italy's Sofia Goggia. Johnson was told by Vonn’s coach that Vonn was “cheering for [me] from the helicopter.”
Vonn caught the eyes of the world, already heading into the Olympics with the feel-good tale of it being her final dance after a remarkable return from retirement after six years that titanium replacement. Then she ruptured her ACL and didn’t lose a modicum of that fiery desire to compete. It, unsurprisingly, brought out arm-chair experts, even real doctors on social media, with their, frankly, unwarranted opinions. Some claimed that Vonn surely had already torn her ACL prior after a clip was released of her doing impressive workouts.
Then the posts moved to it being a shame that she took the spot from someone more deserving, and that this crash was always inevitable. Downhill skiing is an inherently dangerous sport. Vonn exemplified all of that through her journey. Perhaps she was overcompensating with her right leg, leaving her off balance and nearer to the gate than anticipated. She finished third in the qualifying rounds on a bad knee, and earned her right to go out on her own, fearless terms.