Lindsey Vonn suffered an injury scare on the eve of the 2026 Winter Olympics as she crashed in her final Downhill event at Crans-Montana before the Games on Friday. The Team USA athlete later limped off while clutching her left knee and was airlifted for medical checks.
Fans will certainly hope that Vonn’s injury is not serious. The Milan-Cortina Games are set to mark the 41-year-old’s farewell from professional alpine ski racing.
Lindsey Vonn Airlifted After Crash in Downhill Race
Vonn lost control while attempting to land a jump and ended up in the safety nets. She managed to get up on her own after receiving medical attention and was later seen limping and keeping weight off her left knee.
It remains to be seen whether this will affect Vonn’s status for the Winter Olympics, which begin on February 6. After getting initial medical attention at the course, Vonn was airlifted by helicopter.
Lindsey Vonn i krasch i Crans Montanas störtlopp – en vecka innan OS
Lugnande bilder när amerikanskan tog sig ner för egen maskin. Tävlingen avbröts sedan efter att tre av de sex första kraschat i det ymniga snöfallet ❌ pic.twitter.com/7evedZuf1n
— Viaplay Vinter (@ViaplayVinter) January 30, 2026
The Crans-Montana event took place in difficult conditions and was later stopped after three athletes crashed amid heavy snowfall.
International Ski and Snowboard Federation CEO Urs Lehmann said via the Associated Press, “I know she hurt her knee. I talked to her. 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 returned to competition in late 2024 after a five-year absence, aiming to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Lindsey Vonn on Her Motivation for Return
Vonn had recently commented on what motivated her to return to professional skiing after her initial retirement in 2019 due to various injuries. She underwent a partial knee replacement before making her comeback and has managed to roll back the years in recent events.
“I want to show people that it’s not a disadvantage to be old,” Vonn said in an interview with People. “I love challenging people’s perspectives, and this is an amazing opportunity to do that. Also, my age is an advantage here.”
“I built an amazing life and was really happy in retirement. But I didn’t finish my career the way I wanted to. I was limping away when I wanted to finish strong,” she added.
MORE: How Retirement Shaped Lindsey Vonn Ahead of Her Winter Olympics Return
Vonn has enjoyed an excellent 2026 season, registering two World Cup wins. Her first win came in St. Moritz, where she won the Downhill event. She then registered another Downhill win in Zauchensee.
Vonn also has two second-place finishes and three third-place finishes to her name so far this season.
