Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, February 8, 2026
Olympic Dreams Shattered for Vonn in Dramatic Cortina Crash
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Lindsey Vonn’s highly anticipated return to Olympic competition ended abruptly Sunday with a devastating crash on the famed Olimpia delle Tofane downhill course in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
- Lindsey Vonn, 41, suffered a leg fracture in a crash just 13 seconds into her downhill run.
- Vonn’s comeback was remarkable, returning from retirement and a recent ACL tear.
- Teammate Breezy Johnson secured the first gold medal for Team USA in the women’s downhill.
- The crash occurred on the same course where Johnson suffered a knee injury before the 2022 Olympics.
The slopes of Cortina, steeped in history for skiing superstar Lindsey Vonn, delivered a cruel twist of fate. Just 13 seconds into her downhill run, Vonn hooked her right arm and shoulder around a gate, sending her tumbling down the course. The crash ended her hopes of capping a remarkable comeback with an Olympic medal.
A Comeback Defined by Resilience
Vonn’s return to competition was already a story for the ages. After retiring in 2019 due to a series of knee injuries, a partial knee replacement in 2024 reignited her passion. She had been atop the FIS leaderboard this season with two World Cup wins, bringing her career total to 84, and five other podium finishes. But an eleventh-hour tear of her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) just nine days prior cast a shadow over her Olympic aspirations.
Despite the ACL tear, Vonn was determined to race. “Knowing Lindsey, she knows her body, she knows her injuries and knows what she’s capable to perform. So I’m sure she made a correct decision to start today,” said Johan Eliasch, president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, following the incident.
Johnson Claims Gold Amidst Heartbreak
The crash cast a pall over the race, but the competition continued. Breezy Johnson, Vonn’s teammate, brought Team USA its first medal of the 2026 Games, winning the gold with a time of 1:36.10. Johnson’s victory was a testament to her own resilience, having battled back from a serious knee injury sustained before the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. Notably, one of those crashes also occurred on the downhill course in Cortina.
“I do know what it is to be here, to be fighting for the Olympics, and to have this course burn you, and to watch, for me, those dreams die,” Johnson told reporters after the race. “It was one of the most heart-breaking moments of my life, and I can’t imagine the pain she’s going through.”
A Historic Venue, A Painful Outcome
Cortina d’Ampezzo holds a special place in Vonn’s career. It was the site of her first World Cup podium finish in 2004 and the location where she became the sport’s then-winningest female skier in 2015. Vonn had expressed a strong desire to compete in Cortina one last time, stating last October, “If it had been anywhere else, I would probably say it’s not worth it. But for me there’s something special about Cortina that always pulls me back, and it’s pulled me back one last time.”
Vonn was transported to a hospital in Treviso, a city two hours south of Cortina, where she underwent an operation on a fracture in her left leg, according to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters. U.S. Ski & Snowboard confirmed she sustained an injury but is in stable condition.
Germany’s Emma Aicher claimed the silver medal, and Italy’s Sofia Goggia won the bronze.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP / AP
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