Lindsey Vonn Injured Ahead of 2026 Olympics — Will She Still Compete?

The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics is days away, and Lindsey Vonn‘s fate in the Games was put in jeopardy after she suffered an injury on January 30.

“This is a very difficult outcome one week before the Olympics … but if there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s a comeback,” Vonn wrote on Instagram.

Ahead of her fifth time competing at the Winter Olympics, the professional skier hit the slopes for a downhill World Cup event, her final race before the Games. Scroll down for everything we know about how she got injured, what it will mean for her Olympic future, and more.

What happened to Lindsey Vonn?

Vonn was competing in her final pre-Olympics downhill ski race in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, when she lost control while landing a jump. She wound up getting tangled in safety nets on the course and was tended to by medical professionals before getting up and walking away from the scene.

However, Vonn was walking with a noticeable limp and appeared to be using her poles to steady herself, per the Associated Press. She was able to lock back into her skis and ski down to the finish line, but had to stop a few times and give some attention to her left knee on the way.

After Vonn made it to the medical tent at the bottom of the course, she was airlifted away from the mountain by helicopter. She was one of three racers to crash that morning, and the race was eventually canceled amid poor conditions.

In her subsequent Instagram post, Vonn confirmed that she “injured [her] left knee.” She also added, “Thank you to all the medical staff who helped me today. I am grateful for all the incredible help I received.”

 

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Will Lindsey Vonn compete in 2026 Winter Olympics?

Following her crash, Vonn said via Instagram that she was “discussing the situation with my doctors and team and will continue to undergo further exams.” However, she also assured fans, “My Olympic dream is not over,” and she will “give more information” when she has it.

“I know she hurt her knee. I talked to her,” International Ski and Snowboard Federation CEO Urs Lehmann told reporters, per AP. “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.”

On January 31, Vonn’s personal head coach, Chris Knight, revealed to the AP that she was still on track to compete at the Olympics. “No she is not racing today but preparing for Cortina as usual,” he told the outlet via text.

Vonn, for her part, shared a positive update via Instagram that same day. “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to race today… wishing all my teammates a great race 💪🏻 🇺🇸,” she wrote. “Thank you for all of the love and support I have received. Means the world to me. Doing my best right now…. 🙏🏻🤞🏻.”

 

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Her first Olympics event, the downhill ski, is scheduled for February 8. She is also planning on competing in the super-G (super giant slalom) race and team combined event, should this injury not derail her.

This is meant to be a comeback Winter Games for Vonn, who last competed in the Olympics in 2018. Prior to that, she took the year off in 2014 due to a torn ACL and other ligament injuries in her right knee.

Vonn had retired from skiing in 2019 due to the lingering effects of the injury. She announced her return to the sport in November 2024, seven months after undergoing a knee replacement. Vonn has credited her titanium knee with ridding her of the pain and swelling she had previously suffered for years.

How many Olympic gold medals has Lindsey Vonn won?

Vonn has won one gold medal at the Olympics. She took home gold in downhill ski at the 2010 Games. That year, she also won bronze in the super-G race. When she returned to the Olympics in 2018, she won another bronze in downhill.

Prior to that, Vonn first competed at the Olympics in 2002 at the age of 17, where she competed in slalom and team combined. She returned in 2006 for slalom, giant slalom, super-G, downhill, and combined, but did not reach the podium for any of those races.

At the 2010 Games, she won her bronze and gold medal, while also competing in slalom, giant slalom, and combined. 2014 was a year off for Vonn as she dealt with her right knee injury, and in 2018, she competed in super-G and team combined, along with the bronze-winning downhill race.

Winter Olympics 2026, Opening Ceremony, Friday, February 6, 2/1c, NBC and Peacock