Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic Comeback Ends in Heartbreaking Crash
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Lindsey Vonn’s pursuit of an against-all-odds Olympic medal ended Sunday in a devastating crash only 12.5 seconds into the downhill final at the Milan Cortina Winter Games. The 41-year-old American ski legend, attempting a remarkable return to competition after years of injury setbacks, lost control on a key section of the Olympia delle Tofane course.
Vonn, a 12-time World Cup race winner on this very track, was fighting to maintain her line when a bump launched her into the air, causing her to clip the fourth gate with her right side. The impact sent her tumbling, landing awkwardly and sliding down the slope before coming to rest.
Critical Early Section of the Course
The Olympia delle Tofane downhill is renowned for its challenging terrain, particularly the Tofana schuss – a narrow, high-speed chute between rock walls. However, the crucial section where Vonn crashed lies *above* the schuss, featuring a right turn with an uphill stretch.
“It’s incredibly reverse banked,” explained Kristian Ghedina, a Cortina native and former racer. “That’s where your speed for the rest of the course gets determined and if you don’t take the right trajectory it makes a huge difference because you end up going uphill.”
Bump and Gate Collision
Vonn was battling the reverse bank and trending slightly uphill when the bump propelled her into the air. This caused her to clip the fourth gate, initiating the disastrous fall. She attempted to regain control mid-air, but landed with her skis perpendicular to the fall line, ensuring a brutal impact.
Norwegian skier Kajsa Vickhoff Lie, observing the incident, noted, “It’s super flat after it so the goal is to be as close to that gate as possible and she really nailed the turn but she was too close to it so she got hooked into it. But that’s how it is with the Olympics, you really want to be on the limit and she was a little bit over the limit.” Lie also pointed out that a “kicker” bump in that section was more pronounced this year, contributing to Vonn’s sudden launch into the air.
U.S. Ski coach Paul Kristofic told The Associated Press, “I watched the video, and probably like anybody else, saw that she went through that panel, that uphill double, and for sure kicked her in the air and there was a pretty significant fall after that.”
Course Preparation Defended
Despite the severity of the crash, race director Peter Gerdol defended the course preparation, stating the section where Vonn fell was “not really more different than other years.” He emphasized the challenging nature of the Cortina downhill, particularly at the Olympic level.
“This represents the Cortina downhill and this year we’re talking about the Olympics,” Gerdol said. “It’s awarding Olympic medals so has to be somehow challenging.” He maintained that the bump hadn’t been significantly altered and that Vonn’s mistake, while unfortunate, could have occurred anywhere on the course.
Safety Measures Activated
Following the crash, Vonn lay motionless on the snow for several tense minutes before receiving medical attention. She was airlifted off the mountain by helicopter. Dainese, the supplier of Vonn’s racing suit, confirmed that the mandatory safety air bag inflated during the crash, potentially mitigating the severity of her injuries.
Marco Pastore, who works on the Dainese safety system, explained that the air bag deflates after approximately 20 seconds. He added that Dainese will attempt to retrieve data from a “black box” sensor within the suit to analyze the details of the fall.
“She was wearing it when they took her away in the helicopter,” Pastore said. “So we haven’t gotten the data yet.”
Vonn’s crash brought a heartbreaking end to a comeback story that had captivated the world. After a titanium knee replacement and, remarkably, just nine days after suffering another ACL rupture, she had dared to dream of Olympic glory. While that dream was tragically cut short, her courage and determination will undoubtedly be remembered.
