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01/30 08:09 CST Lindsey Vonn airlifted from course after crashing in final
downhill before Milan Cortina Olympics
Lindsey Vonn airlifted from course after crashing in final downhill before
Milan Cortina Olympics
By GRAHAM DUNBAR
AP Sports Writer
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) --- Lindsey Vonn crashed in her final downhill
race before the Winter Olympics on Friday and was airlifted from the course for
medical checks, a troubling turn for the 41-year-old U.S. ski star just a week
before the Milan Cortina Games.
Vonn --- the third skier to crash in the World Cup race in Crans-Montana ---
lost control when landing a jump and ended up tangled in the safety nets on the
upper portion of the course.
She got up after receiving medical attention for about 5 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.
The race, which was held in difficult conditions with low visibility, was
canceled after Vonn's crash.
It wasn't immediately clear how the crash would impact Vonn's Olympic
preparations. 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.
The U.S. Ski Team said on social media that she was being evaluated.
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.
"I know she hurt her knee, I talked to her," the International Ski and
Snowboard Federation CEO Urs Lehmann told reporters in the finish area. "I
don't know if it's really heavy and (if) she won't miss the Olympics. Let's
wait for what the doctors are saying."
Vonn made a stunning comeback last season at age 40 after nearly six years away
from ski racing. Skiing with a partial titanium implant in her right knee, she
has been the circuit's leading downhiller this season with two victories and
three other podium finishes in the five races.
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.
The crash occurred exactly a week before the Milan Cortina opening ceremony.
Vonn's first Olympic race is the women's downhill on Feb. 8. She was also
planning on competing in the super-G and the new team combined event at the
Games.
Women's skiing at the Olympics will be held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, where Vonn
holds the record of 12 World Cup wins.
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.
Difficult race conditions Vonn was the sixth racer in Friday's 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. Two other skiers had also crashed before her: Nina Ortlieb of Austria and Marte Monsen of Norway. 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 --- Wiles and Corinne Suter, the Olympic champion, completed their runs. Wiles barely could make the tight final left-hand turn that had tricked Monsen. Romane Miradoli of France, who did complete her run as the second to start, said visibility was an issue, with snow falling. "You can't see," Miradoli said, "and it's bumpy everywhere." Asked if it was dangerous, Miradoli added, "We just couldn't see well." 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.
Crans-Montana tributes 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's Day that killed 40 people and injured more than 100. A minute's silence was observed before racing. 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 "Our thoughts are with you" written in French, German, Italian and English. ___ AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf contributed. ___ AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Difficult race conditions Vonn was the sixth racer in Friday's 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. Two other skiers had also crashed before her: Nina Ortlieb of Austria and Marte Monsen of Norway. 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 --- Wiles and Corinne Suter, the Olympic champion, completed their runs. Wiles barely could make the tight final left-hand turn that had tricked Monsen. Romane Miradoli of France, who did complete her run as the second to start, said visibility was an issue, with snow falling. "You can't see," Miradoli said, "and it's bumpy everywhere." Asked if it was dangerous, Miradoli added, "We just couldn't see well." 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.
Crans-Montana tributes 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's Day that killed 40 people and injured more than 100. A minute's silence was observed before racing. 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 "Our thoughts are with you" written in French, German, Italian and English. ___ AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf contributed. ___ AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
