Lindsey Vonn injury: Horrific crash caught on video as US ski racer falls during Winter Olympics - ‘Predictable outcome’

Nearly a week after her serious knee injury, Lindsey Vonn's hopes for Olympic downhill skiing at Milano Cortina 2026 ended when she crashed out of the race on Sunday, 8 February.

After hitting a gate, the legendary skier shouted in pain as she fell, and the crowd fell silent for a minute, while her coach, Aksel Lund Svindal, watched with concern. The race was paused for over 10 minutes before Vonn was airlifted to a hospital for medical care, AP reported.

"It's hard to believe. We just hope she will be ok," Vonn's sister Karin Kildow told NBC.

“It's tragic,” the Olympics website quoted International Ski Federation president Johan Eliasch, who was present at the race. "But what can I say? It's ski racing and knowing Lindsey, I wouldn't count her out for [French Alps] 2030."

At a press conference during the Olympics, she admitted she had ruptured her ACL in the crash but insisted she could still compete, AP reported.

"This is not obviously what I had hoped for.... I know what my chances were before the crash and I know my chances aren't the same as it stands today," she was quoted as saying. "But I know there's still a chance, and as long as there's a chance I will try."

She also responded to those who questioned her ability to perform despite her injury, and addressed on social media a sports doctor who doubted her ACL tear was "fresh" from Crans-Montana.

"My ACL was fully functioning until last Friday. Just because it seems impossible to you doesn't mean it's not possible," Vonn said. "And yes, my ACL is 100% ruptured. Not 80% or 50%. It's 100% gone."

Netizens react

Several social media users reacted to Vonn's injury, most expressing sorrow over the mishap.

One of the users wrote, “It boils me with rage that Lindsey Vonn was even allowed to start this bloody race in the first place. A heartbreaking albeit sadly predictable outcome.”

Another added, “Hope Linsey Vonn’s crash out isn’t as bad as it looks 😖”

A user said, “You can hear her crying… ugh hate this for her.”

Another noted, “American skier Lindsay Vonn crashes on the slopes, closing her Olympic comeback. I pray to God she is OK God bless her. At 41 Skiing without an ACL shows strength and character and the Olympic spirit.”

“What an amazing athlete Linsey Vonn is. I've been a fan of hers for years, she is truly inspirational,” a user wrote.