{"id":554418,"date":"2026-01-30T17:28:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T17:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/554418\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T17:28:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T17:28:10","slug":"lindsey-vonn-says-olympic-dream-is-not-over-after-crashing-in-last-downhill-before-winter-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/554418\/","title":{"rendered":"Lindsey Vonn says ‘Olympic dream is not over’ after crashing in last downhill before Winter Games"},"content":{"rendered":"

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) \u2014 Lindsey Vonn<\/a> crashed and injured her left knee on Friday in her final downhill race before the Olympics<\/a>, but said she still hopes to recover in time for the Milan Cortina Winter Games. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a very difficult outcome one week before the Olympics\u2026 but if there\u2019s one thing I know how to do, it\u2019s a comeback,\u201d the 41-year-old American wrote on Instragram, hours after she was airlifted off the course for medical checks. \u201cMy Olympic dream is not over.\u201d <\/p>\n

Vonn was the third skier to crash in the World Cup race in Crans-Montana when she lost control while landing a jump and ended up tangled in the safety nets on the upper portion of the course. <\/p>\n

She got up after receiving medical attention for about five minutes, seemingly in pain and using her poles to steady herself. Vonn then skied slowly to the finish line, stopping a couple of times on the way down and clutching her left knee. <\/p>\n

\u201cI crashed today in the Downhill race in Switzerland and injured my left knee. I am discussing the situation with my doctors and team and will continue to undergo further exams,\u201d Vonn wrote in her Instagram post<\/a>. \u201cThank you for all of the love and support. I will give more information when I have it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The race, which was held in difficult conditions with low visibility, was canceled after Vonn\u2019s crash.<\/p>\n

The American, who was expected to be one of the biggest stars of the Games, limped into a tent for medical attention before being airlifted away by helicopter, dangling from a hoist cable with two people attending her.<\/p>\n

Before she entered the tent, Vonn had an anxious expression on her face and her eyes were closed during a long embrace with teammate Jacqueline Wiles, who was leading the race when it was canceled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know she hurt her knee, I talked to her,\u201d the International Ski and Snowboard Federation CEO Urs Lehmann told reporters in the finish area. \u201cI don\u2019t know if it\u2019s really heavy and (if) she won\u2019t miss the Olympics. Let\u2019s wait for what the doctors are saying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vonn made a stunning comeback last season at age 40 after nearly six years away from ski racing. Skiing with a partial titanium implant<\/a> in her right knee, she has been the circuit\u2019s leading downhiller this season with two victories and three other podium finishes in the five races.<\/p>\n

Including super-G, Vonn had completed eight World Cup races this season and finished on the podium in seven of them. Her worst finish was fourth.<\/p>\n

The crash occurred exactly a week before the Milan Cortina opening ceremony.<\/p>\n

Vonn\u2019s first Olympic race is the women\u2019s downhill on Feb. 8. She was also planning on competing in the super-G and the new team combined event at the Games.<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s skiing at the Olympics will be held in Cortina d\u2019Ampezzo, where Vonn holds the record of 12 World Cup wins.<\/p>\n

Vonn was also planning on racing a super-G in Crans-Montana on Saturday in what would have been her final race before the Games.<\/p>\n

Difficult race conditions<\/p>\n

Vonn was the sixth racer in Friday\u2019s downhill and had registered the fastest time at the first checkpoint before landing a jump off-balance. She lifted her left arm and pole high into the air in an attempt to regain her balance. As she tried to brake, she got spun around and ended up in the nets.<\/p>\n

Two other skiers had also crashed before her: Nina Ortlieb of Austria and Marte Monsen of Norway.<\/p>\n

Ortlieb crashed on top in the same area as Vonn and Monsen hit the nets just before the finish area and had to be taken away in a sled. The race was delayed after both of those crashes. But then two racers \u2014 Wiles and Corinne Suter, the Olympic champion, completed their runs. <\/p>\n

Wiles barely could make the tight final left-hand turn that had tricked Monsen.<\/p>\n

Romane Miradoli of France, who did complete her run as the second to start, said visibility was an issue, with snow falling.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t see,\u201d Miradoli said, \u201cand it\u2019s bumpy everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked if it was dangerous, Miradoli added, \u201cWe just couldn\u2019t see well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vonn has had numerous crashes in her career. One of her worst was at the 2013 world championships in Schladming, Austria, during a super-G that was also held in difficult conditions. Vonn then had to be airlifted off the course and tore apart her right knee. She returned the following season, got hurt again and missed the 2014 Sochi Olympics.<\/p>\n

Crans-Montana tributes<\/p>\n

The race started Friday in a subdued mood in Crans-Montana which is coping with the trauma of a devastating fire in bar in the early hours of New Year\u2019s Day that killed 40 people and injured more than 100. A minute\u2019s silence was observed before racing.<\/p>\n

The finish area stripped of color and the usual sponsor adverts. Instead, it was dressed with white and black banners featuring a ribbon with the words \u201cOur thoughts are with you\u201d written in French, German, Italian and English.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf contributed.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP Winter Olympics: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics<\/a><\/p>\n