CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Lindsey Vonn overcame one crash to make it to the Olympic start line. The second kept her from the finish.
Vonn had to be airlifted off the Olimpia della Tofane course after crashing about 13 seconds into her downhill run Sunday, Feb. 8 at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. The US Ski & Snowboard Team issued a statement at 5 p.m. local time that Vonn, ‘sustained an injury, but is in stable condition and in good hands with a team of American and Italian physicians.’
Vonn had surgery at Ca’Foncello Hospital in Treviso to stabilize a broken left leg, the hospital said in a statement. She had initially been taken to a hospital in Cortina but, after evaluation, was transferred to Ca’Foncello, about two hours away.
Vonn’s crash in Sunday’s downhill race had nothing to do with the ACL she tore eight days ago, when she crashed during the final downhill race before the Olympics. Instead, Vonn hooked the fourth gate with her right arm, and it spun her off-balance. She fought to regain control, but her legs had already splayed and her weight quickly shifted to the back of her skis, pulling her backward. She fell to her right and then tumbled head first in the snow.
‘Things just happen so quick in this sport,’ U.S. teammate Bella Wright said after the race. ‘It looked like Lindsey had incredible speed out of that turn, and she hooked her arm and it’s just over just like that.’
The three-time Olympic medalist remained prone in the snow, and she could be heard wailing in pain. The gasps and groans from fans faded into shocked silence as medics worked on her. Vonn remained on the course for approximately 13 minutes before being loaded into a helicopter.
About 18 minutes after the crash, the helicopter slowly began flying toward Cortina. “Let’s let Lindsey Vonn hear us!” the American announcer said as the chopper flew away with her, and the crowd cheered and applauded.
American teammate Breezy Johnson, who took the early lead and held on for her first ever Olympic medal, covered her eyes with her right hand upon witnessing Vonn’s terrifying tumble.
‘I can’t imagine the pain that she’s going through. And it’s not the physical pain. We can deal with physical pain, but the emotional pain is something else,’ said Johnson, who missed the Beijing Olympics after a crash in Cortina four years ago. ‘I wish her the best and I hope that this isn’t the end.’
Johnson said in the medalist’s news conference that Vonn’s coach had told her Vonn was cheering for her from the helicopter.
‘I hope for the best for her,’ Johnson said. ‘My heart aches for her. It’s such a brutal sport sometimes.’
It’s the second time in as many weeks Vonn has left a mountaintop on a chopper. She fully ruptured her left ACL, sustaining meniscus damage and bone bruising, in a downhill crash on Jan. 30, in the final World Cup event prior to the start of the Olympics.
A statement from the US Ski & Snowboard team said Vonn would be ‘evaluated by medical staff.’ Johan Eliasch, president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, said he didn’t know the severity of her injury, but that it would determine whether she was taken to a local hospital or one further away.
Eliasch called the crash ‘tragic’ but cautioned against blaming Vonn’s knee injury for it.
‘Knowing Lindsey, she knows her body, she knows her injuries, and she knows also what she’s capable of,’ Eliasch added. ‘Everybody had such high expectations. And yeah, it’s tragic, but again, it’s ski racing and accidents do happen.’
Vonn is 41, and also skiing with a partial replacement of her right knee. She had dominated the sport before the crash, making the podium in all five downhill races this season and winning two of them.
Despite the latest injury, Vonn was determined to race at her fifth and final Olympics. She said her knee felt stable and strong, and she’s spent the last week doing intense rehab, pool workouts, weight lifting and plyometrics. She skied both training runs, posting the third-fastest time in the second run before it was cancelled because of fog and snow.
Vonn’s sister Karin Kildow was at the course today for the downhill and spoke to NBC reporters during their live broadcast:
‘I mean that definitely was the last thing we wanted to see and it happened quick and when that happens, you’re just immediately hoping she’s okay. And it was scary because when you start to see the stretchers being put out, it’s not a good sign,’ Kildow said. ‘But she really … she just dared greatly and she put it all out there. So it’s really hard to see, but we just really hope she’s okay.
‘She does have all of her surgeons and her PT staff here and her doctors, so I’m sure they’ll give us a report and we’ll meet her at whatever hospital she’s at.’
American skier Jackie Wiles reacts to Lindsey Vonn crash
‘Watching Lindsey go down from the start was pretty awful,’ said Jackie Wiles, after finishing fourth in the downhill. ‘I mean, we have such a sisterhood. I mean, we travel with each other on the road. We’re a family and to watch someone that you care about so much, it really sucks, and my heart kind of just broke for her in that moment.
‘But that’s the inherent risk of this sport. I feel like we all know what can happen and I think we all have a lot of love and respect for each other because with the inherent risk. And yeah, it sucks when it’s someone you care about so much.’
American Breezy Johnson wins gold in downhill
American Breezy Johnson has conquered Cortina.
The same course that ended her Olympic dreams in 2022 delivered gilded immortality Sunday, as she collected the first medal of any kind in any sport for Team USA in these Games.
Johnson, who skied sixth in the lineup, won gold medal with a time of 1:36.10.
She became the first American woman not named Mikaela Shiffrin or Lindsey Vonn to win an individual medal in Alpine skiing since Julia Mancuso in 2014 (bronze in super combined).
Germany’s Emma Aicher took silver, and Italy’s Sofita Goggia took bronze. American Jackie Wiles finished just off the podium in fourth.
IOC president sends Lindsey Vonn message
Olympic women’s downhill results
- Breezy Johnson, USA ….. 1:36.10
- Emma Aicher, Germany ….. 1:36.14
- Sofia Goggia, Italy ….. 1:36.69
- Jackie Wiles, USA ….. 1:36.96
- Cornelia Huetter, Austria ….. 1:36.96
- Laura Pirovano, Italy ….. 1:37.04
- Kajsa Vickhoff Lie, Norway ….. 1:37.08
- Ariane Raedler, Austria ….. 1:37.20
- Kira, Weidle-Winkelmann, Germany ….. 1:37.26
- Federica Brignone, Italy ….. 1:37.29
- Mirjam Puchner, Austria ….. 1:37.65
- Nicol Delago, Italy ….. 1:37.65
- Laura Gauche, France ….. 1:37.98
- Corinne Suter, Switzerland ….. 1:38.01
- Ilka Stuhec, Slovenia ….. 1:38.08
- Romane Miradoli, France ….. 1:38.10
- Janine Schmitt, Switzerland ….. 1:38.28
- Jasmine Flury, Switzerland ….. 1:38.51
- Malorie Blanc, Switzerland ….. 1:38.77
- Elvedina Muzaferija, Bosnia and Herzegovina ….. 1:38.81
- Isabella Wright, USA ….. 1:38.85
- Julia Pleshkova, Individual Neutral Athletes ….. 1:39.69
- Camille Cerutti, France ….. 1:40.41
- Jordina Caminal Santure, Andorra ….. 1:41.34
- Barbora Novakova, Czechia ….. 1:41.89
- Cassidy Gray, Canada ….. 1:41.99
- Matilde Schwencke, Chile ….. 1:43.31
- Rosa Pohjolainen, Finland ….. 1:44.08
- Alena Labastova, Czechia ….. 1:44.55
- Nicole Begue, Argentina ….. 1:44.73
- Elisa Maria Negri, Czechia ….. 1:45.48
- Anastasiia Shepilenko, Ukraine ….. 1:47.70
- Lindsey Vonn, USA ….. DNF
- Nina Ortlieb, Austria ….. DNF
- Cande Moreno, Andorra ….. DNF
- Valerie Grenier, Canada ….. DSQ
Jackie Wiles just misses getting Team USA second medal
American Jackie Wiles just missed the podium in the women’s downhill, finishing fourth behind teammate Breezy Johnson, Germany’s Emma Aicher and Italy’s Sofia Goggia.
And while Wiles was thrilled for Johnson, she teared up when discussing the brutal reality of missing a medal.
‘I’m extremely happy for Breezy. It’s incredible. She did an amazing job today,’ an emotional Wiles said. ‘But of course it is hard being in fourth. I feel like after everything I’ve been through in my career at my age, I don’t have many chances left. ‘So yeah, it hurts. It’s really hard, but trying to look ahead, so I’ll have more racing and that’s all I can do.’
American Breezy Johnson retains lead … barely!
Cameras show Breezy Johnson’s mouth dropping open and doing a ”whew” motion with her hand when Germany’s Emma Aicher crossed the finish line, 0.04 seconds behind the American.
American Breezy Johnson lays down top early speed
Great googly moogly Breezy Johnson. The reigning world champion in downhill threw down a blistering run that is going to force everyone else to go for broke if they want to top it.
Skiing right on the very edge, Johnson took tight lines around most of the turns and sailed on the jumps. She took the lead in the second section, then expanded it to almost a second in the third section. She came into the finish area with a spray of snow, pumping her fist at the cheering U.S. fans.
Johnson hit a top speed of 80 miles per hour in the upper part of the course, and was still hauling at almost 69 mph at the final speed marker
Johnson crashed during a training run on this track in 2022, which kept her out of the Beijing Games. Redemption appears not only possible but likely for the second-time Olympian.
Fast slope for downhill competition
There’s speed to be had on the Olimpia Dells Tofane today, especially in the middle section of the course. Current leader Ariane Radler’s time of 1:37.2 is 0.7 seconds ahead of Breezy Johnson’s top time in the second training run.
Federica Brignone leads Italian contigent in downhill
Federica Brignone, reigning overall champ and Italian flag bearer, is the first Italian skier up. The home crowd hyped at the start, ringing bells and cheering for the local star, who trains in Cortina.
Over half a dozen Italian flags billowed in the stands as Brigone waved with both hands to an adoring home crowd.
Olympic women’s downhill competition begins
Switzerland’s Malorie Blanc is first on the course and a big cheer went up when she was shown pushing out of the start gate on the Jumbotron.
What time does the Olympic women’s downhill start?
The women’s downhill medal event at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics is scheduled to start at 5:30 a.m. ET (11:30 a.m. local).
What TV channel is the Olympic women’s downhill on?
USA Network will have live coverage of the women’s downhill medal event at the 2026 Winter Olympics at 5:30 a.m. ET. NBC will air a replay of the event at 9:20 a.m. ET.
How to stream Olympic women’s downhill
You can stream the downhill on Peacock or NBCOlympics.com (you must log in with your cable or satellite prover).
Where is the Olympic women’s downhill race?
The women’s downhill medal event at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics is being held at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Where will Lindsey Vonn start in women’s downhill?
Lindsey Vonn’s bib number could be a good omen.
Vonn will start 13th in the downhill at the Milano Cortina Olympics on Sunday, Feb. 8. The only other time she’s drawn that number this season – for the super-G in Val d’Isere, France – she finished third. It was the first of her two super-G podiums this season.
Breezy Johnson, who had the fastest time in training Saturday, Feb. 7, is the first American to start, at No. 6. Jackie Wiles, who had the fastest time in training Friday, Feb. 6, goes 17th. Bella Wright is the last of the four Americans in the 36-skier field, at No. 24.
Ideal weather conditions for women’s downhill
After two days of disruptions due to fog and snow, conditions at the Alpine venue are near perfect. Skies are blue with a few clouds.