A dramatic moment marked the downhill competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics: Lindsey Vonn, the “queen of skiing”, was evacuated from the slope by helicopter after an accident suffered at the start of the race on Sunday.
Vonn, who came out of retirement specifically for these Games, was competing despite a complete rupture of her left anterior cruciate ligament suffered a week earlier in a World Cup crash in the Swiss Alps. The athlete protected her knee with a special prosthesis, hoping to finish the race, but the injury was too serious.
This is not the first major challenge of his career
Before retiring in 2019, Vonn competed with a torn lateral collateral ligament, three tibia fractures and a bone contusion, still managing to win a bronze medal. Currently, he even has a “titanium” knee, although it is not affected in the recent accident.
The event brought the race to a halt and brought a moment of great concern to fans and fellow athletes.
The injuries did not make her give up the sport
“Just making it to these Olympics has been a journey, one that some didn’t believe in from the beginning. I retired for 6 years and thanks to a partial knee replacement, I had the chance to compete once again. But why? Everyone seems to be asking me that question. But I think the answer is simple… I just love competitive skiing!”Vonn said in a social media post Saturday night.
