“Nothing makes me happier” she said before leaving behind the gate of the track she loves most and which gave her so much in a life spent on the slopes. Then 13 seconds ruined everything right on the way down the Olympics winter of Milan-Cortina, the screams rent the air and that dream became a nightmare for Lindsey Vonn: the terrible fall on the Tofane of his heart transformed the day that closed the circle of his magical career into the saddest exit from the scene.
In intensive care
The American skier is monitored in the intensive care unit dell’Ca’ Foncello hospital in Treviso after the bad fall in the women’s Olympic downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo. A source reports this to Guardian. The American champion is not in danger of life and did not require respiratory assistance through intubation.
The terrible fall
A few seconds and that messy twist before ending up brutally on the snow put the point for the American: fractured leg, immediately operated on in Treviso after tears and desperation.
She who at 41 wanted to give herself another Olympics, her last. She had decided this a year and a half ago, returning more than five years after his official retirement: and then the world cup races, still as a protagonist, following the serious knee injury, between operations and rehabilitation. A difficult path in which the snow queen never lost her smile, until she once again felt the desire for the most daring descents, chasing further successes. Who in fact had arrived, punctually, in St.Moritz before last Christmas, with yet another feat in the downhill: an injection of confidence towards the Games. But the approach would have reserved another surprise, which smacked of a bitter omen, precisely in the last test before the Olympics, the fall on the haunted Crans Montana track. Knee injury, the American speaks of a broken cruciate but wants to be at the Games: “The dream never ends” she said, posting photos of other monstrous workouts in the gym including squats and barbells to reassure her three million followers. She didn’t want to give up on the American who boasts four crystal balls, eight downhill world cups, five in super-g and three in combined, to which must be added two world golds and one Olympic. Even though she was aware that perhaps she was pushing herself beyond her own limits.
“We all know the difficulties that Lindsey went through these last days and regarding the race I think she overdid it and risked too much and that’s why this kind of accident can happen,” said former Slovenian champion, and two-time Olympic gold medalist Tina Maze. Team USA now speaks of “stable conditions”. And now everyone is rallying around one of the greatest of all time, who in Treviso ended up under the knife for the umpteenth time with a broken leg, ugly fractures to be repaired. “It was scary” commented the skier’s sister, Karin Kildow. Praying hands and broken hearts in the post of national teammate Mikaela Shiffrin and a thought for Lindsay Vonn also from Rafa Nadal: «You are a great source of inspiration and an example of perseverance. Be strong and get well soon” the former tennis king writes to her.
His words
«I will be competing in my last Olympic downhill and, although I cannot guarantee a good result, I can guarantee that I will give everything I have. No matter what happens, I have already won” she said a few hours before the start. Then in 13 seconds everything vanished: the fall, the pain, the helicopter, the coldness among the fans, hands over her eyes: Lindsay Vonn ends like this, without a smile. For her, the saddest exit from the place that has always made her happy.
Last updated: Sunday 8 February 2026, 10.38pm
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
