Lindsey Vonn crashes during the downhill race at the Milano Cortina Games after tearing the ACL

American skier Lindsey Vonn crashed seconds into her Olympic descent on Sunday after deciding to compete despite tearing her left cruciate ligament in an earlier crash at a World Cup event in the Swiss Alps a week ago.

The 41-year-old American, who retired to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympicspreviously confirmed she had completely torn her cruciate ligament, but said she was confident she could still complete the race with the help of a knee brace.

Seconds into the race, Vonn lost control after she appeared to clip a flag marking the side of the course, flew sideways in the air and hit her head on the ground. She responded, but didn’t get up. Medical personnel placed her on a stretcher and lifted her off the course.

After the crash, Vonn was heard screaming that she could not remove her skis.

Vonn had family in the stands, including her father, Alan Kildow, who stared at the ground as his daughter was treated. Others in the crowd, including Snoop Dogg, watched quietly as the star skier was finally taken off the course she had so many fond memories of.

Thomas Pronske of Austin, Texas, who watched the event from the sidelines, told CBS News after the accident, “I hope she’s doing well. It didn’t look good. We saw her stumble quite a bit and I pray and wish the best for her… She was a very big reason why I was here. It’s just remarkable the comeback story of her overcoming adversity… Having torn my ACL myself, I know it’s a painful injury… and again I hope she’s doing well.”

Maria Pronske, Thomas’ mother, who said she was so inspired by Vonn that she attended the event herself on her birthday with an injured knee, told CBS News that she “felt terrible for her with her knee… Poor thing.” I feel so sorry for her. I pray for her too.”

Crista Kosher, the cousin of Jacqueline Wiles, another Team USA skier, said it was “absolutely devastating to see her teammate being lifted off the hill.”

“Lindsay and Jacqueline have been racing together for years and years and years now, and they definitely have a mentor-mentee relationship, and seeing her friend go down is very challenging for anyone, but we wish the best for Lindsay and her recovery,” said Kosher.

Charles Christianson, a retired former ski racer from Park City, Utah, said the crash was “absolutely heartbreaking.

“Everyone is here to cheer on the entire US team and especially celebrate Lindsay’s incredible career. This is absolutely heartbreaking, but true to form, Lindsay wouldn’t have it any other way,” Christianson said. “She knew the risks. Ski racers always accept it and you saw the determination when she went out of the gate. She was attacking. She never had any doubts about what she was going to do and it was going to be a podium or a failure and it goes both ways. So again, the respect from the crowd and everyone here shows how important she has been to the sport. We’ll have to see what happens. We wish her the best. But just a gut punch.”

Before Sunday’s race, a Team USA official had said that Vonn having a major crash during the race was their biggest fear. Given all the attention on her and her inspiring story, seeing her being flown off the course during the race was their worst-case scenario.

Before her retirement in 2019, Vonn had battled a torn lateral collateral ligament, three tibial fractures and a bone bruise, and still won a bronze medal. She now has one titanium knee, but that is not the joint that is currently injured.

“Just attending these Olympics has been a journey that some did not believe in from the beginning,” Vonn said in a social media post late Saturday. “I was retired for six years and due to a partial knee replacement I was given the opportunity to compete again. But why? Everyone seems to ask me that question. But I think the answer is simple… I just love ski racing.

“I’m not insecure about life outside of sports. I’m not looking for meaning, attention or money. I know exactly who I am and I know exactly what I’m made of,” she said.

Vonn had clocked the third-fastest time during a pre-race training run on Saturday – behind her teammate Breezy Johnson – although the run was called off due to bad weather before all racers had participated.

“I think it’s a good run,” said Vonn’s coach, Aksel Lund Svindal. “Tomorrow is the race and the Olympics and the girls will be pushing harder. So everyone will probably go faster, which means Lindsey should go faster too. But it’s a solid run, but I think she still has a gear.”

Johnson pulled ahead of Vonn, completing the run in just over 1:36.

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