Legendary U.S. Athlete Transported To Hospital As Winter Olympics Approaches

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American alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn was airlifted to a hospital from a World Cup race in Switzerland after a horrifying crash during her final competition.

The 41-year-old Olympic gold medalist was seen “clutching her left knee,” PEOPLE noted.

She limped into a medical tent for evaluation before being airlifted to a hospital.

“Lindsey Vonn fell in the Crans Montana downhill and is being evaluated,” the U.S. Ski Team said in an update.

Vonn’s crash comes one week before the February 6th opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

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International Ski and Snowboard Federation CEO Urs Lehmann told reporters at the race that Vonn “hurt her knee,” but he would not speculate on the extent of the injury and what it could mean for her participation in the Olympics.

“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’s coach, Aksel Lund Svindal, told Reuters that Vonn was being evaluated at a hospital.

“She has some pain so it’s better to have some checks, the physio did some checks they seemed OK but there were things he was not 100% sure so it was good to have it checked (at the hospital).”

Several competitors also crashed amid what they called difficult conditions. Nina Ortlieb of Austria and Marte Monsen of Norway crashed before Vonn took her run. France’s Romane Miradoli said, “you can’t see,” and added that the course was “bumpy everywhere.”

Vonn’s event for the Olympics is scheduled two days after the opening ceremony.

She made a comeback to the sport last season after nearly six years away, having struggled with numerous injuries.

“I crashed today in the Downhill race in Switzerland and injured my left knee. I am discussing the situation with my doctors and team and will continue to undergo further exams. This is a very difficult outcome one week before the Olympics… but if there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s a comeback,” Vonn said on Instagram.

“My Olympic dream is not over. Thank you for all of the love and support. I will give more information when I have it. Thank you to all the medical staff who helped me today. I am grateful for all the incredible help I received,” she added.

PEOPLE shared further:

Vonn has previously suffered multiple torn ACLs and countless injuries throughout her career, and had a partial titanium knee replacement in 2024 — which she credits as one of the reasons for her competitive return to skiing after retiring in 2019.

“My body was so different,” she told PEOPLE. “I didn’t have any pain at all; my knee didn’t swell. I felt like I could do anything. The thought of ski racing again, something I loved to do so much, but without pain, was really exciting.”

Vonn is poised to make history as the oldest woman to ever compete in Alpine racing in Winter Olympics history. She said that her return to the sport will also let her finish her career the way she wanted.

“I built an amazing life and was really happy in retirement,” she said of mostly focusing on her philanthropy. “But I didn’t finish my career the way I wanted to. I was limping away when I wanted to finish strong.”



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