![[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Feb 6, 2026; Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITALY; Lindsey Vonn of the United States in the finish area during women's downhill training during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre.](https://statico.profootballnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/08065309/lindsey-vonn-courageous-olympic-return-02-08-26-1920x1280.jpg "Lindsey Vonn’s Courageous Olympic Return Ends in Heartbreak After Devastating Downhill Crash")
Lindsey Vonn has just left her Olympic dreams in great risk after crashing in the downhill event on Feb. 8, 2026. She suffered the horrific fate just seconds into her Cortina d’Ampezzo race, before reaching even the first marker on the course.
She lay motionless until the medical team began attending to her at the venue itself. Hopeful fans watched the 41-year-old exit the event, standing on the sidelines in silence.
Lindsey Vonn Crashes in Cortina d’Ampezzo Downhill at the Start of Her Fifth Olympic Campaign
Vonn was on track for a record-breaking feat at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, having qualified for her fifth Games. She would become one of the greatest skiers of all time and the oldest to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport if she finishes at the top of her events. However, that possibility seems far-fetched now, as she crashed in the first seconds of the downhill final.
She pushed off the gate as the 13th woman and before reaching the first marker, crashed on the 1.6-mile-long course, and continues to receive medical attention on the snow. Vonn’s fans, who flocked to the sidelines to watch her compete, were left silenced when the skier put her campaign in jeopardy.
Vonn came fresh off a crash in Crans-Montana during a World Cup downhill event, where she ruptured the ACL in her left knee and suffered additional damage. However, after receiving medical attention, she resumed training and was soon cleared to compete at the Olympics. The recent setback on the Games course may have stemmed from the injury sustained just a few days earlier.
The 41-year-old became the oldest World Cup champion when she triumphed in the St. Moritz downhill at the start of the season, a testament to her determination to defy the odds. She then secured another top finish and added more podiums to her World Cup tally.
Laser-focused on her Olympic dreams, she shared that she resumed her career because she felt pain-free and ready after her partial knee replacement surgery in 2024, not to prove her worth to anyone.
Vonn also acknowledged that most women choose to focus on family after a certain age, but athletes like her are showing what’s possible. In a recent CBS News interview, she proudly said it’s a privilege to represent her country and an honor to walk out with Team USA in the opening ceremonies of the world’s largest sporting event. The Minnesota-born was the first American woman to win Olympic gold in downhill, achieving it at the 2010 edition.
