Lindsey Vonn Airlifted Off Slope After Crashing at 2026 Olympics (VIDEO)

Dan Clarendon February 8, 2026, 10:51 am

Lindsey Vonn of crashes during the women's downhill at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre on February 8, 2026, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy — IOC via Getty Images

What To Know

Lindsey Vonn crashed just 13 seconds into her downhill run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, resulting in her being airlifted off the slope with medical attention but is expected to recover.
The women’s downhill event saw multiple crashes, including Austria’s Nina Ortlieb and Andorra’s Cande Moreno, with Moreno also requiring airlift, highlighting the sport’s dangers.
American skier Breezy Johnson won her first Olympic gold in the event, dedicating her victory to the emotional and physical challenges faced by competitors like Vonn.

Lindsey Vonn braved a torn ACL to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano–Cortino, but a crash on Sunday ended the downhill skier’s dream of adding another gold to her medal collection.

Vonn had to be airlifted from Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, after clipping a gate with her right shoulder and tumbling down the slope early in her run during the alpine skiing women’s downhill event, according to ESPN.

After Vonn came to a stop, medical personnel spent minutes tending to her where she lay before strapping her to a gurney and sending her off via helicopter as the crowd cheered in support, per the Associated Press.

Prayers up for Lindsey Vonn

The 41-year-old encountered a scary crash just 13 seconds into her downhill routine.

Ten minutes later, a helicopter came to airlift her off the side of the mountain, after the terrifying tumble. #WinterOlympics #LindseyVonn pic.twitter.com/Qow7yquGXB

— EssentiallySports (@ES_sportsnews) February 8, 2026

Austria’s Nina Ortlieb and Andorra’s Cande Moreno also crashed during the event. Ortlieb was able to walk off the course, while Moreno was airlifted off the slope.

Ultimately, American skier Breezy Johnson won gold in the event, scoring her first-ever Olympic medal and Team USA’s first gold of these games. Johnson missed the podium at the 2018 Olympics and suffered an injury in Cortina ahead of the 2022 Olympics.

“I don’t claim to know what she’s going through, but I do know what it is to be here, to be fighting for the Olympics, and to have this course burn you and to watch those dreams die,” Johnson said of Vonn. “I can’t imagine the pain that she’s going through, and it’s not the physical pain — we can deal with physical pain — but the emotional pain is something else.”

Anouk Patty, chief of sport for U.S. Ski and Snowboard, told ESPN Vonn “will be OK.”

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Patty added, “This sport’s brutal and people need to remember when they’re watching [that] these athletes are throwing themselves down a mountain and going really, really fast.”

Alan Kildow, Vonn’s father, said her surgeons and doctors were in Cortina and evaluating the skier. “We’re happy everyone’s cheering for her and appreciate all the support.”

And Karin Kildow, Vonn’s sister, told NBC that the Olympic athlete “put it all out there” on Sunday. “She always goes 110 percent — there’s never anything less — so I know she put her whole heart into it. Sometimes things happen. It’s a very dangerous sport.”