Lindsey Vonn’s downhill crash places Winter Olympics unsure : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5000x3333+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F69%2F6c%2F0ad5000845d09dde59ea81c161a6%2Fgettyimages-2258428086.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5000x3333+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F69%2F6c%2F0ad5000845d09dde59ea81c161a6%2Fgettyimages-2258428086.jpg" class="img" alt="Skier Lindsey Vonn of the United States reacts after crashing in the women's downhill race Friday in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. The fall puts her potential Winter Olympics appearance next week in jeopardy." fetchpriority="high"/> Skier Lindsey Vonn of the US winces after crashing within the ladies's downhill race Friday in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. The autumn and potential knee harm put her potential Winter Olympics look subsequent week in jeopardy. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP through Getty Photos cover caption

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The skier Lindsey Vonn, whose comeback at age 41 has been some of the exceptional tales of this 12 months's ski season, crashed in a race in Switzerland on Friday, placing her purpose of one other Olympic medal in jeopardy.

Vonn was the third racer to crash within the downhill race at Crans-Montana, the ultimate cease on the World Cup circuit earlier than the Winter Olympics are set to start subsequent month.

Vonn misplaced management after touchdown a leap, and he or she skidded down the hill into the sideline nets. She was in a position to ski slowly all the way down to the end line by herself, at instances seen holding her left knee. Afterward, she was airlifted off the course, and the race was known as off.

Her situation was unclear instantly following the crash Friday. In a short assertion, the U.S. ski crew stated solely that Vonn was "being evaluated."

Vonn was considered one of Staff USA's greatest stars within the 2000s and 2010s. Her Olympic gold within the downhill race within the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver was the primary for an American lady in that occasion. When she retired in 2019, her 82 World Cup wins have been essentially the most of any skier ever.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5727x3818+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F31%2F68%2F9fbd37fb40e5b16e6e31056aa27b%2Fgettyimages-2258414495.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5727x3818+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F31%2F68%2F9fbd37fb40e5b16e6e31056aa27b%2Fgettyimages-2258414495.jpg" class="img" alt="Lindsey Vonn holds the back of her left knee after crashing in the women's downhill in Crans Montana, Switzerland on Friday. It was her final tune-up race ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics." loading="lazy"/> Lindsey Vonn holds the again of her left knee after crashing within the ladies's downhill in Crans-Montana, Switzerland on Friday. It was her last tune-up race forward of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP through Getty Photos cover caption

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Fabrice Coffrini/AFP through Getty Photos However her retirement had by no means sat properly together with her. She was compelled into it, she felt, by repeated accidents to her knees. A partial knee substitute modified issues, she stated. She started coaching once more in earnest in 2024, together with her eyes set on the Olympic alternative forward in 2026 at Cortina D'Ampezzo in Italy — a widely-loved ski course the place she had her first podium end in 2004 and broke the document for many World Cup wins in 2015.

"It isn't a secret that my purpose is the Olympics," she informed reporters final fall.

This season, her success on the World Cup circuit has been nothing in need of astonishing. She received her first race of the season — the downhill in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in December — and has since received one other and completed on the rostrum in 5 different races.