Lindsey Vonn’s comeback to Olympic competition had been building toward one destination: Cortina d’Ampezzo. The Italian resort town is woven into her storied career, from her first World Cup podium in 2004 to the Super‑G victory that made her the winningest female skier in history. But on Sunday, the same Olimpia delle Tofane course that once defined her greatness delivered a crushing blow to her final Olympic dream.
Just 13 seconds into her downhill run, Vonn clipped a gate with her right arm and shoulder, whipping her body sideways as she launched off a jump. She spun violently in the air, slammed onto the snow, and tumbled end‑over‑end down the slope. The crash brought an immediate hush over the grandstand, where more than a thousand spectators watched in horror as the big screen replayed the fall.
A Comeback Within a Comeback
That Vonn raced at all was remarkable. After retiring in 2019 due to chronic knee injuries, she returned to competition following a partial knee replacement in 2024. Her 2026 season had been strong enough to place her atop the FIS leaderboard entering the Games. But just nine days before the downhill, she tore her left ACL in Switzerland — an injury that would have ended most athletes’ Olympic hopes.
Instead, Vonn pushed forward, determined to race in Cortina one last time. Her grit turned the downhill into one of the most anticipated events of the Games. That anticipation made the crash even more devastating.
Immediate Aftermath and Medical Update
U.S. Ski & Snowboard confirmed that Vonn “sustained an injury, but is in stable condition.” She was airlifted from the mountain and transported to a hospital in Treviso, where she underwent surgery for a fracture in her left leg. The full extent of her injuries has not yet been released.
Teammate Bella Wright, watching from the start gate, called the fall “heart‑breaking,” noting how quickly years of preparation can vanish in a single moment.
Breezy Johnson Delivers Team USA’s First Medal
Vonn’s crash cast a shadow over the race, but her teammate Breezy Johnson delivered a triumphant moment for Team USA. The 30‑year‑old won gold with a time of 1:36.10, completing her own comeback after suffering two major knee injuries ahead of the 2022 Beijing Olympics — one of which occurred on the same Cortina course.
Johnson spoke emotionally afterward, acknowledging the shared pain of Cortina’s unforgiving terrain.
“I know what it is to be here, to be fighting for the Olympics, and to have this course burn you,” she said. “I can’t imagine the pain she’s going through.”
Her victory marks only the second Olympic downhill gold ever won by an American woman — the first belonging to Vonn in 2010.
Germany’s Emma Aicher earned silver, and Italy’s Sofia Goggia claimed bronze.
