Despite tearing her ACL just days before the Winter Olympics, ski racer Lindsey Vonn still decided to participate in the women’s downhill event at Milan-Cortina. During her downhill race, Vonn suffered a terrifying crash as she clipped a gate and lost control just seconds after starting. She tumbled violently down the slope and was airlifted to a hospital in Innsbruck, Austria, with the help of a chopper.
According to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team, Vonn, who was transported to a hospital after the crash, is in “stable condition.” American and Italian physicians are looking after her in the aftermath of the injury.
Lindsey Vonn’s sister, Karin Kildow, is also at the Games and spoke about the “scary incident” that has her family “hoping for the best.”
“That definitely was the last thing we wanted to see. It happened quick. So when that happens you’re just immediately hoping she’s okay,” Kildow said on NBC’s broadcast. “It was scary because when you start to see the stretchers being put out, that is not a good sign.”
Vonn’s sister commended the decorated ski racer’s bravery, saying she always goes “110%.” She also talked about the dangerous nature of the sport and at first look it was a pretty rough fall.
“I know she put her whole heart into it and sometimes, just, like, things happen,” Kildow said. “It’s a very dangerous sport. And there are a lot of variables at play. I don’t really know exactly what happened. It did look like a pretty rough fall. We’re just hoping for the best.”
Lindsey Vonn Participated Despite Tearing ACL
Coming into the Winter Games at Milan, Lindsey Vonn was carrying a damaged left knee after rupturing the ACL following a January World Cup downhill crash. It was a career-threatening injury and required a month to recover from.
Despite that, the 41-year-old consulted with her doctors, who diagnosed a bone bruise and meniscal damage. After extensive therapy and with the help of a brace, Vonn decided to compete in multiple events, including downhill, super-G, and team combined.
However, after the latest crash, it’s safe to say that Vonn is not coming back from this one to participate in other planned events.
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