Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn provided an update on the knee injury she sustained after a crash in a downhill race merely a week before the 2026 Milan Cortina Games. On Friday, January 30, the 41-year-old skier slammed into the safety nets after not being able to control a landing in the first half of the treacherous course at the Crans Montana event in Switzerland. While she was able to get to her feet and safely ski down to the finish area, she was seen clutching her left knee before entering the medical tent and being airlifted to a hospital for further evaluation.
Vonn still hopeful she can participate in 2026 Olympic Games
Lindsey Vonn’s knee injury threatens to take her out of the 2026 Winter Olympics, but she remains optimistic that she will be able to compete in a statement on Instagram.
“I crashed today in the Downhill race in Switzerland and injured my left knee,” she explained. “I am discussing the situation with my doctors and team and will continue to undergo further exams.”
Vonn added, “This is a very difficult outcome one week before the Olympics… but if there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s a comeback.”
The opening ceremonies for the upcoming Olympics takes place on February 6 and the women’s downhill skiing event occurs only two days after on February 8 at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo. That doesn’t give Vonn a lot of time to recover from the injury and practice on the Olympic course.
“My Olympic dream is not over. Thank you for all of the love and support. I will give more information when I have it,” she wrote. “It’s not over until it’s over…”
Aksel Lund Svindal, a two-time Olympic champion who joined Vonn’s coaching team this season, was concerned about the injury. “She has some pain so it’s better to have some checks,” he said after the crash occurred, in a statement to Reuters. “The physio did some checks, they seemed okay, but there were things he was not 100% sure, so it was good to have it checked [at the hospital.]”
The knee injury is a crushing blow to Vonn, who has made an incredible comeback this year in the leadup to the Olympic Games. The skier retired in 2019 but decided to return to the sport in 2024 after getting a partial right knee replacement. So far this season, Vonn has landed on the podium in every downhill event, winning two of them. She had several podium finishes in several super-G events as well. Her participation in the upcoming Olympics would give her the record of being the oldest woman to compete in Alpine racing in any Winter Olympics.
Vonn was not the only skier who couldn’t complete the race at Crans Montana, as two skiers before her did not finish the course due to poor visibility. After her crash, the race was cancelled.
The Olympic hopeful had been concerned about competing at this event in Switzerland for months. In a press conference in October, Vonn was already worried about Crans Montana given the likelihood of poor conditions and the high risk for crashes, per USA Today.
“I’m definitely going to be very strategic with how I approach the World Cups, especially with Crans Montana,” she said at the time. “Historically there’s been difficulties with weather and snow condition and injuries specifically. … So if I have to race in that race, I will, but I’ll be very strategic about how I approach that.”
Another Olympic gold medalist, Chloe Kim, sustained a shoulder injury earlier in January during a training session in Switzerland. Fortunately, her torn labrum is expected to heal before the Olympic Games begin.
