Lindsey Vonn undergoes surgery on broken leg as Olympic dream ends in heartbreak

Lindsey Vonn has undergone surgery on her broken left leg after her Olympic comeback ended with her being airlifted to hospital following a crash in the women’s downhill in Cortina.

The American had damaged her ACL when falling in a World Cup race at Crans-Montana just over a week ago but still lined up in Sunday’s event at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre.

Racing as the 13th skier, Vonn clipped a gate just seconds into her run and somersaulted off the course, remaining on the ground for a prolonged period before a helicopter took her to hospital.

In an update on X, the US Ski and Snowboard Team said: “Lindsey Vonn sustained an injury, but is in stable condition and in good hands with a team of American and Italian physicians.”

Update: Lindsey Vonn sustained an injury, but is in stable condition and in good hands with a team of American and Italian physicians.

— U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team (@usskiteam) February 8, 2026

Vonn was airlifted to a clinic in Cortina and has since been transferred to a larger hospital in Treviso.

In a statement, quoted on olympics.com on Sunday evening, Ca’ Foncello Hospital confirmed the 41-year-old “underwent orthopedic surgery to stabilise a fracture in her left leg”.

The Cortina crowd had raised a huge cheer as Vonn pushed out of the gate but fell almost silent as she crashed out, before again applauding her off the mountain as the helicopter passed overhead.

Vonn’s team-mate and reigning world champion Breezy Johnson took the title, becoming the first American woman to win the event since Vonn’s triumph in Vancouver in 2010.

Johnson said: “The work that we put in, the careers, my heart aches for her. It’s a tough road, and it’s a tough sport.

“That’s the beauty and the madness of it, that it