Crans-Montana (Switzerland) (AFP) – Skiing great Lindsey Vonn crashed badly during the women’s downhill race at Crans-Montana on Friday, just one week before the start of the Winter Olympic Games in Italy. The 41-year-old American, the 2010 Olympic downhill champion and one of the most recognisable faces in world sport, lost control on a turn and skidded out into the safety netting. While she was able to ski down to the bottom of the Swiss piste after her crash, she appeared to be in great discomfort from her left knee, stopping several times.
After embracing teammate Jacqueline Wiles in the finish area, seemingly in tears, Vonn was promptly evacuated by helicopter for medical checks. Vonn was set to be one of the faces of the February 6-22 Milan-Cortina Games, having taken this season by storm with seven podium finishes in eight races, including two downhill victories in St. Moritz and Zauchensee. She, and the US team, now face a nervous wait to discover the extent of her injuries.
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The US ski federation said her injury was being evaluated. “We hope she’s OK, we’re not entirely sure, she’s being examined,” said Vonn’s coach, the Norwegian skiing great Aksel Lund Svindal. “She’s feeling a bit of pain in the left foot and left knee, but I’m feeling positive,” he told Austrian public television.
The race in Crans-Montana — the site of a deadly fire a month ago that killed 40 young people and injured 116 — was set to be the final downhill before the Olympics. Vonn was one of three crash victims among the first six skiers who took to the downhill slope in the Swiss resort: Austria’s Nina Ortlieb and Marte Monsen of Norway also both bombed out. Organisers decided to cancel the race after Vonn’s crash because of “adverse conditions.”
“Following difficulties experienced by the first six racers, the jury interrupted the race due to growing safety concerns. Athlete safety remained the top priority, with the jury ultimately deciding to cancel the competition,” FIS announced. Women’s World Cup race director Peter Gerdol said that worsening visibility was behind the decision. Athletes, he said, “couldn’t see the race line properly and it caused mistakes.”
“We saw six athletes starting and all six had some mistakes. This was a sign that it was a high-risk situation. We know that our sport is a risky sport, but the feeling was too much risk.” Heavy snowfall over the last 48 hours had made things difficult for the racers. They trained just once on Wednesday while training on Thursday was cancelled. A women’s super-G is set to go ahead on Saturday with a men’s downhill on Sunday.
During her long career, Vonn has torn ligaments in both knees, suffered broken arms and legs, and even a concussion. Less than two years ago, she underwent a partial left knee replacement to resolve persistent pain caused by her multiple injuries. Just over six months later, she made her comeback to the sport aged 40 following her retirement in 2019.
Vonn won Olympic downhill gold in Vancouver in 2010, eight years after making her Games debut in Salt Lake City as a fresh-faced teenager. She is set to be one of seven Americans to compete at their fifth Olympics.
© 2024 AFP
