Lindsey Vonn’s moment had arrived. Standing at the starting gate at the Olympia delle Tofane ski slope in D’Ampezzo, Italy, the totality of the moment was not lost on anyone watching. Vonn, the greatest women’s downhill skier, was set to make history again. She was vying to become the oldest female Gold Medalist ever, on a course where she had earned 12 World Cup Victories. The hands of fate were about to bestow her with the ultimate prize after a comeback few doubted she would see through to fruition.

And then in a flash, the dream was gone. Vonn, starting in 13th position, veered to the right to attack the first of many jumps on the run. As she entered the jump, Vonn bumped into a gate with her right shoulder. The collision knocked her off balance, spinning her sideways down the hill. In such a position, there was no chance she would land safely, and she crashed in a blanket of snow. There was anticipation, then silence, as the horrified crowd realized the gravity of the situation.

Lindsey Vonn’s Storied Career

Lindsey Kildow grew up in Burnsville, Minnesota, and a chance meeting with Olympic skiing Gold Medalist Picabo Street changed the trajectory of her life. She cut her teeth on Buck Hill, an area ski slope, and on family vacations at the famous Vail resort in Colorado. She demonstrated an early aptitude for the sport, and at age 16, she made her World Cup debut on November 18, 2000, at Park City, Utah. She skied in her first Winter Olympics at age 17 in 2002, in Salt Lake City.

From there, her career exploded. She has won four World Cup overall championships, the gold medal in downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the first one for an American woman. In addition, she has won a record eight World Cup downhill season titles and five Super-G titles. Vonn is one of only six women to have won a World Cup race in all six disciplines of alpine skiing (downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, and super combined).

When she first retired in 2019, she held 82 World Cup titles, the most by any woman, until her teammate Mikaela Shiffrin broke her record in 2023. Later in her career, during an injury-plagued season, Vonn skipped the 2014 Winter Olympics. But she returned to dominance in 2015, winning her seventh World Cup downhill title and also adding her fifth super-G title. She had a strong 2016 season, but then her aggressive skiing style led to more injuries.

At the start of the 2018-19 World Cup campaign, Vonn announced she would retire from competition. But not before winning a bronze medal in the downhill at the 2019 World Championships. But was there another chapter of skiing to add to her long and illustrious career?

Comeback!

On November 14, 2024, Vonn announced that she would return to competitive skiing after successful knee replacement surgery. She debuted in December of that year, finishing 14th in the super-G at St Moritz, Switzerland. In her first downhill race in six years, she placed sixth at St. Anton in January 2025. In the middle of her comeback season, Vonn announced she would like to compete in World Cup races until the Olympic Games in Cortina d´Ampezzo, as it is one of her favorite courses.

Vonn earned her first podium in seven years when she placed second in the super-G at the season finals in Sun Valley, Idaho, in March 2025. And in a return to glory, on December 12, 2025, she became the oldest downhill skiing World Cup winner (41), at St. Moritz, taking her 83rd World Cup race and first since 2018. On December 23, Vonn qualified for her fifth Olympic appearance at the 2026 Winter Games.

On January 30, Vonn crashed during the World Cup downhill in Crans-Montana, in the final tune-up before the Olympics. On February 3, it was confirmed that she had ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), but she clearly stated that she intended to compete at the Olympics the following week. This set the stage for her horrific crash this morning as a crestfallen world looked on.

The End of an Era

After she was airlifted to a local hospital, Vonn underwent surgery to repair her damaged leg. Unfortunately, it was announced after the surgery that she had suffered a broken leg, ending her current quest and legendary alpine skiing career. Vonn is in stable condition and is being cared for by a team of American and Italian doctors. Lindsey ended her career with a style that she is most known for.

The always-attacking Vonn lived on the edge throughout her skiing career, which led to enormous success but also to epic failures and a slew of injuries. Anyone watching her today knows she was giving her maximum effort. She has the heart and soul of a true champion, and she set the standard by which all alpine skiers will be judged. Thank you, Lindsey Vonn, for sharing your amazing journey with the world.

Note

Vonn’s teammate Breezy Johnson won Team USA’s first gold medal of the Games today in the downhill.