At the women’s alpine downhill final at Milano Cortina 2026 on 8 February, Lindsey Vonn snagged a slalom gate seconds into her run and crashed. The 41-year-old ski racer had hopes of becoming the oldest athlete to win a medal in the discipline. Ultimately, Vonn’s Olympics ended with the skier being airlifted to a nearby hospital.
Vonn had already met her share of obstacles prior to the 2026 Winter Olympics. The three-time Olympic medallist was coming out of a six-year retirement with a partially replaced knee. To top it off, on 30 January, she tore her ACL competing in the World Cup circuit. Despite the risks of competing with a torn ACL, Vonn decided to participate at the Olympics — even with her injury, Vonn had successful practice runs and was feeling confident before the competition.
When Vonn’s arm hooked on the slalom gate, sending her crashing, it was unexpected, even given her existing injuries. The crash was not technically related to her ACL injury, though it could affect her recovery time, which is already predicted to be lengthy. In an Instagram post, Vonn revealed that the crash caused a “complex tibia fracture” that would require multiple surgeries, the third of which she has just undergone.
Vonn says she has “no regrets” about racing, despite the effects of her crash. On her Instagram she wrote:
“Standing in the starting gate yesterday was an incredible feeling that I will never forget. Knowing I stood there having a chance to win was a victory in and of itself. I also knew that racing was a risk. It always was and always will be an incredibly dangerous sport.”
Though Vonn received criticism for racing with an injury, particularly one as serious as a torn ACL, she remains confident in her decision. It does lead us to wonder, however: how long could it have been before the injury did affect her racing at the games, and potentially caused an equally consequential crash? Is racing while injured heroic, egotistical, or a little bit of both?
“Lindsey Vonn Wins Audi FIS World Cup Downhill Globe” by U.S. Ski Team is licensed under CC BY 2.0.