01/30/26 04:27:00
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01/30 04:25 CST Lindsey Vonn left limping after crash in final downhill race
before Milan Cortina Olympics
Lindsey Vonn left limping after crash in final downhill race before Milan
Cortina Olympics
By GRAHAM DUNBAR
AP Sports Writer
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) --- Lindsey Vonn crashed in her final downhill
before the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday and was left limping and
keeping weight off her left knee.
Vonn lost control when landing a jump in a World Cup race and ended up tangled
in the safety nets on the upper portion of the course.
She eventually got up after receiving medical attention and walked away
gingerly, taking weight off her left knee and using her poles to steady
herself. She then clicked her skis back on but stopped to check her left knee.
Vonn eventually made it to the finish area and limped into a tent for medical
attention. The race was later canceled after three of the first six racers
crashed.
Before she entered the tent, Vonn had an anxious expression on her face and her
eyes were closed during a long embrace with teammate Jacquelin Wiles, who was
leading the race when it was canceled.
The 41-year-old Vonn has been the circuit's leading downhiller this season with
two victories and three other podium finishes, having returned last season
after a partial right knee titanium replacement.
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.
Vonn had registered the fastest time at the first checkpoint and then landed a
jump off balance, lifted her left arm and pole high into the air in an attempt
to regain her balance. Then as she tried to brake, Vonn got spun around and
ended up in the nets.
Vonn was the sixth racer to start and 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 Corrine Suter,
the Olympic champion, completed their runs.
Romane Miradoli of France, who did complete her run, 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.
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AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf contributed.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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