Lindsey Vonn suffered a terrible fall at the Winter Olympic Games in the downhill event on Sunday morning, barely seconds after starting the descent. She lost control and flew several meters in the air before hitting the snow badly. She was airlifted as the spectators at the Olimpia delle Tofane course in Cortina stood in silence and then applauded for the 41-year-old American skier, who was in visible pain.
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Vonn had suffered a very serious knee injury a little over a week ago, when she ruptured her left anterior cruciate ligament. Despite the risks, she decided to speed up her recovery and still compete in Cortina, knowing it will likely be her last Olympics.
However, this fall, adding to the harm caused by last week's fall, could mean the definitive end of the competitive career of Vonn, a legend in the sport.
Vonn holds the record of more World Cup titles in downhill, eight between 2008 and 2016. She won 84 times in World Cup, including 12 at the Olimpia delle Tofane course in Cortina, Italy. She also won 3 Olympic medals, 1 gold, despite many injuries that caused her to miss sometimes entire seasons, including the 2014, missing the Sochi Olympics.
When she retired in 2019 due to injuries, she already was the most decorated female skier of all-time, but after going to extensive surgery, including a partial knee replacement with titanium, she returned to the sport in 2024, and achieved two more victories and five podiums since.