One of the most audacious bids for an Olympic medal in recent memory ended in heartbreak Sunday.
Just 13 seconds into her run, Lindsey Vonn appeared to catch her pole on a gate, causing her to crash and break her left leg. That’s the same leg Vonn tore her ACL in less than two weeks ago.
Vonn was airlifted off the mountain and eventually transported to an Italian hospital for surgery on her broken leg. The U.S. Ski & Snowboard team said that Vonn was in “stable condition” after the surgery.
American Breezy Johnson ultimately won gold in the women’s downhill, making her only the second woman from the United States to do so after Vonn did so in 2010.
Vonn was heard audibly crying out on the broadcast after her crash.
The 41-year-old Vonn, one of the best ski racers of all time, tore her ACL less than two weeks ago in a World Cup race on Jan. 30. She stunned the sports world with her announcement last week that she planned to race at the Olympics despite the injury.
Sunday’s fracture was only the latest in a long series of gruesome injuries for the skiing legend, including one to her right knee that led to a total replacement. But she had dominated the World Cup circuit after unretiring before this season, and was steadfast about competing despite saying she had “completely ruptured” her ACL less than two weeks ago.
Vonn completed two successful test runs in Cortina D’Ampezzo earlier this week before crashing Sunday. Her injury and subsequent airlift delayed the competition by more than 20 minutes.
