Lindsey Vonn says her "Olympic dream is not over" after crashing in World Cup race
Crans-Montana, Switzerland — Lindsey Vonn said in a social media statement her "Olympic dream is not over" after a crash in her final downhill before the Milan Cortina Games left her limping and keeping weight off her left knee.
Vonn lost control when landing a jump in a World Cup race and ended up tangled in the safety nets on the upper portion of the course.
She eventually got up after receiving medical attention and walked away gingerly, taking weight off her left knee and using her poles to steady herself. She then clicked her skis back on but stopped to check her left knee.
Vonn eventually made it to the finish area Friday and limped into a tent for medical attention. Before she entered the tent, Vonn had an anxious expression on her face and her eyes were closed during a long embrace with teammate Jacquelin Wiles.
The crash occurred exactly a week before the Milan Cortina opening ceremony. Several hours later, Vonn wrote on Instagram that she had injured her left knee and that she was "discussing the situation" with her doctors and team.
"This is a very difficult outcome one week before the Olympics… but if there's one thing I know how to do, it's a comeback," Vonn wrote. She said she will continue to undergo further exams and "give more information when I have it."
Vonn thanked fans for their "love and support" and medical staff for their "incredible help." She also gave a shout-out to Norwegian skier Marte Monsen, who also crashed during the event. Austrian skier Nina Ortlieb also crashed.
Ortlieb crashed on top in the same area as Vonn and Monsen hit the nets just before the finish area and had to be taken away in a sled. The race was delayed after both of those crashes. But then two racers — Wiles and Corrine Suter, the Olympic champion, completed their runs. The race was canceled after Vonn's crash. Wiles was leading the race when it was cancelled.
Romane Miradoli of France, who did complete her run, said visibility was an issue, with snow falling.
"You can't see," Miradoli said, "and it's bumpy everywhere."
Asked if it was dangerous, Miradoli added, "We just couldn't see well."
The 41-year-old Vonn has been the circuit's leading downhiller this season with two victories and three other podium finishes, having returned last season after a partial right knee titanium replacement. Last month, Vonn raced to a stunningly fast win in a World Cup downhill at St. Moritz to earn her first victory in nearly eight years — and the first in her comeback with titanium implants in her right knee after a five-year retirement.
Vonn's first Olympic race is the women's downhill on Feb. 8. She was also planning on competing in the super-G and the new team combined event at the Games.
Women's skiing at the Olympics will be held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, where Vonn holds the record of 12 World Cup wins.
Vonn was also planning on racing a super-G in Crans-Montana on Saturday in what would have been her final race before the Games.
Vonn had registered the fastest time at the first checkpoint and then landed a jump off balance, lifted her left arm and pole high into the air in an attempt to regain her balance. Then as she tried to brake, Vonn got spun around and ended up in the nets.
Vonn has had numerous crashes in her career. One of her worst was at the 2013 world championships in Schladming, Austria, during a super-G that was also held in difficult conditions. Vonn then had to be airlifted off the course and tore apart her right knee. She returned the following season, got hurt again and missed the 2014 Sochi Olympics.