American skier Lindsey Vonn left the downhill race empty-handed on Sunday at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics after crashing just meters from the start in the final.
The 41-year-old had hoped to win her fourth Olympic medal despite suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee just over a week ago.
The 2010 Olympic downhill gold medalist was a strong contender for gold in her favorite discipline, had it not been for the serious injury just before the start of the 2026 Games.
Oldest athlete to win an Olympic medal
Vonn came out of retirement in November 2024, reclaiming her status as the world’s best downhill skier despite being in her early forties. She is the oldest athlete to win an Olympic medal in her discipline, a record she set by winning downhill bronze in PyeongChang eight years ago.
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Vonn wears a brace to stabilize her left knee, which also suffered a bone bruise. She stated that cartilage damage may have existed prior to the crash, resulting from a violent incident during the final World Cup downhill race in Switzerland, before the world’s top skiers moved to Cortina d’Ampezzo for the Olympics.
American skier Lindsey Vonn
Lindsey Vonn is a retired American alpine ski racer who is one of the most successful athletes in the sport’s history. She won four overall World Cup championships and an Olympic gold medal in downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Games, overcoming numerous injuries throughout her career.
Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics
The Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics is the upcoming Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, awarded to Italy in 2019. It will be the fourth Olympics hosted by Italy and is notable for using widely dispersed, existing venues across the Lombardy and Veneto regions, including sites from the 1956 Cortina Games.
PyeongChang
PyeongChang is a county in South Korea’s Gangwon Province, best known internationally for hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics. Its history as a winter sports destination was solidified through these games, though the region has long been a mountainous and agricultural area. The Olympics were centered in the PyeongChang mountain cluster, leaving a legacy of world-class sporting venues.
Switzerland
Switzerland is a landlocked European country known for its long-standing policy of neutrality, which has kept it out of international armed conflicts since 1815. Its cultural identity is shaped by its multilingual population, with four official languages, and its historic role as a hub for diplomacy and international organizations.
Cortina d’Ampezzo
Cortina d’Ampezzo is a renowned resort town in the Dolomites of northern Italy, historically part of the Holy Roman Empire and later the Republic of Venice. It gained international fame as the host of the 1956 Winter Olympics and is a premier destination for skiing, alpine scenery, and luxury tourism.
