Lindsey Vonn Injured Weeks Before 2026 Olympics
By Jason Hall
January 30, 2026
American skier Lindsey Vonn was left limping and keeping weight off her left knee after crashing during her final downhill race ahead of the upcoming 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday, ESPN reports.
Vonn reportedly lost control while landing a jump and got tangled in the safety nets on the upper portion of the course. The legendary skier received medical attention for about five minutes before getting up, appearing to experience pain as she used her poles to steady herself.
Vonn then slowly skied to the finish line, stopping multiple times as she made her way down and appearing to clutch her left knee. The 41-year-old was the third skier to crash in the World Cup race in Crans-Montana, which was held in difficult conditions with low visibility and was canceled after her crash.
It wasn't immediately clear how the crash would affect Vonn's preparation for the 2026 Winter Olympics, having announced her decision to come out of retirement in 2024 to compete in the upcoming event. The American limped into a medical tent before being airlifted away via helicopter, dangling from a hoist cable as two others attended her.
Vonn appeared to have an anxious expression prior to entering the tent, sharing a long embrace with teammate Jacqueline Wiles, who led the canceled race.
"I know she hurt her knee, I talked to her," International Ski and Snowboard Federation CEO Urs Lehmann told reporters via ESPN. "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."
Vonn is a three-time Olympic medalist, which included winning gold in the downhill and bronze in the super-G at the 2010 Vancouver Games and bronze in the downhill at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, as well as being a four-time overall World Cup champion and eight-time world championships medalist. Vonn's 82 World Cup race victories -- with her career total now at 84 -- stood as the most for any female skier until being eclipsed by fellow American Mikaela Shiffrin, 30, who is now at 108 career wins, the most of any Alpine skier in history.
The 2026 Winter Olympics, which will be held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from February 6 to February 22. iHeartMedia will provided 24/7 coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics and play-by-play action during live premium events.