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American skiing star Lindsey Vonn was lifted from a World Cup race in Switzerland on Friday after a terrifying crash during her final run, putting her Olympic comeback in jeopardy just a week before the Milan-Cortina Games are due to begin.
Vonn, who made a stunning comeback to the sport last season after nearly six years away from skiing, appeared to lose control while trying to land a jump in her final World Cup race in Crans-Montana.
Lindsey Vonn holds her left knee after crashing during the women’s World Cup downhill race in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on January 30, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)
The 40-year-old Olympic gold medalist, a favorite in this month’s Games, clutched her left knee and grimaced in pain. She limped into a medical tent to be evaluated before being lifted off the field in a harness.
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“Lindsey Vonn fell in the Crans Montana downhill and is being evaluated,” the U.S. Ski Team said in its only update on Vonn.
International Skiing and Snowboarding Federation chief executive Urs Lehmann told reporters at the race that Vonn “hurt her knee” but would not speculate on the extent of the injury and what it might mean for her participation in the Olympics.
Lindsey Vonn is transported to a hospital after suffering an injury following a crash during her race in the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup women’s downhill race in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on January 30, 2026. (REUTERS/Denis Balibouse)
“I don’t know if it’s really heavy and (if) she won’t miss the Olympics. Let’s wait and see what the doctors say.”
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Vonn’s coach, Aksel Lund Svindal, told Reuters that Vonn was being evaluated at a hospital.
“She’s in some pain so it’s better to get some checks, the physio did some checks, they looked OK but there were things he wasn’t 100% sure about so it was good to get it checked (at the hospital).”
Several competitors also crashed in what they called difficult conditions. Nina Ortlieb of Austria and Marte Monsen of Norway crashed before Vonn ran. France’s Romane Miradoli said “you can’t see,” adding that the pitch was “uneven everywhere.”
Lindsey Vonn reacts after crashing during the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2025-2026 women’s downhill race in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on January 30, 2026. (Fabrice COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
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Vonn is scheduled for her first Olympic event in the women’s downhill on February 8. She is also scheduled to compete in the super-G and the new team combined event.
