Lindsey vonn injury: Olympic downhill crash silences Cortina as teammate Breezy Johnson wins gold for Team USA (Image via Getty)

Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic dream ended almost as soon as it began. On Sunday morning in Italy, the American ski legend crashed just seconds into the women’s downhill race at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The fall happened early on the Olympia delle Tofane course in Cortina d’Ampezzo, stunning the crowd and stopping the race for several minutes. Lindsey Vonn, who is 41 years old, was attempting something few thought was possible. She had returned to competition only nine days after tearing the ACL in her left knee. As she entered the opening section of the course, she lost balance, flew sideways, and crashed hard. Her scream could be heard clearly from the course, and medical teams rushed in right away. While the race paused and the stadium stayed silent, Vonn was placed on a stretcher and flown out by helicopter. Moments later, the focus shifted back to the race, and that is where another American stepped into history.

The crash happened when Lindsey Vonn cut her line very tight around a right-hand turn. Her right ski pole appeared to clip the fourth gate. That small touch was enough to throw her off balance while she was already in the air. She landed awkwardly and slid off course.Medical staff surrounded her almost instantly. The race was stopped for about 10 minutes as officials focused only on her safety. Fans near the finish line stayed completely quiet, waiting for news.Later, the U.S. Ski Team released a short statement. “Lindsey Vonn fell in the Olympic downhill and will be evaluated by medical staff,” the team said, according to The Associated Press.Once the race resumed, Breezy Johnson delivered a huge performance for the United States. The Jackson Hole, Wyoming native clocked a winning time of 1 minute, 36.10 seconds to take the gold medal. She finished just 0.04 seconds ahead of Germany’s Emma Aicher.Italy’s Sofia Goggia thrilled the home crowd by earning the bronze medal. Another American, Jacqueline Wiles, recorded the fastest final split of the race and finished tied for fourth place. She missed the podium by only 0.27 seconds. As Johnson celebrated her Olympic gold, the mood stayed mixed. It was a big win for Team USA, but many eyes remained on updates about Vonn, whose condition is still being evaluated.