US skier Lindsey Vonn airlifted from course after terrifying crash puts Olympic comeback in jeopardy
American ski star Lindsey Vonn was airlifted from a World Cup race in Switzerland on Friday after a terrifying crash during her final run, putting her Olympic comeback in jeopardy just one week before the Milan-Cortina Games are scheduled to begin.
Vonn, who made a stunning comeback to the sport last season after nearly six years away from ski racing, appeared to lose control while attempting to land a jump in her final run in the World Cup race in Crans-Montana.
The 40-year-old Olympic gold medalist, a favorite in this month’s Games, grabbed at her left knee and grimaced in pain. She limped into a medical tent for evaluation before being airlifted off the course in a harness.
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“Lindsey Vonn fell in the Crans Montana downhill and is being evaluated,” the U.S. Ski Team said in its lone update on Vonn.
International Ski and Snowboard Federation CEO Urs Lehmann told reporters at the race that Vonn “hurt her knee,” but he would not speculate on the extent of the injury and what it could mean for her participation in the Olympics.
“I don’t know if it’s really heavy and (if) she won’t miss the Olympics. Let’s wait for what the doctors are saying.”
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Vonn’s coach, Aksel Lund Svindal, told Reuters that Vonn was being evaluated at a hospital.
“She has some pain so it’s better to have some checks, the physio did some checks they seemed OK but there were things he was not 100% sure so it was good to have it checked (at the hospital).”
Several competitors also crashed amid what they called difficult conditions. Nina Ortlieb of Austria and Marte Monsen of Norway crashed before Vonn took her run. France’s Romane Miradoli said “you can’t see,” and added that the course was “bumpy everywhere.”
Vonn is scheduled for her first Olympic event in the women’s downhill on Feb. 8. She is also slated to compete in the super-G and the new team combined event.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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