Lindsey Vonn in stable condition after surgery on broken left leg following crash in Olympic final

Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic Journey Ends in Injury, But She Remains in Stable Condition

Lindsey Vonn is in “stable condition” after surgery to address a fracture in her left leg following her crash in the downhill final on Sunday, marking the end of her Olympic dream. According to the Associated Press, the procedure took place at the Ca’ Foncello hospital in Treviso, the same location as the leg that Vonn “completely ruptured” her ACL in a January 30 crash in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

Details of the Crash and Immediate Response

The American skier burst out of the start in Sunday’s final but collided with a gate using her right arm after just 13 seconds, causing her to tumble down the slope. Silence enveloped the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo as medical staff attended to the three-time Olympic medalist. Vonn was later airlifted off the Olimpia delle Tofane piste as the crowd gave her a standing ovation.

“Lindsey Vonn sustained an injury, but is in stable condition and in good hands with a team of American and Italian physicians,” the US Ski and Snowboard Team stated in a social media update.

Following a prolonged delay in the women’s downhill event, competition resumed with Vonn’s teammate, Breezy Johnson, securing Team USA’s first gold of the Games. The hospital in Treviso, approximately 80 miles from the crash site, confirmed that Vonn “underwent an orthopedic operation to stabilize a fracture reported in her left leg.”

“She’ll be OK, but it’s going to be a bit of a process,” US Ski and Snowboard chief of sport Anouk Patty told AP.

CNN has reached out to the US Ski and Snowboard organization for further comment. Anouk Patty emphasized the inherent risks of the sport, stating, “This sport’s brutal, and people need to remember when they’re watching (that) these athletes are throwing themselves down a mountain and going really, really fast.”

It was anticipated that Vonn’s participation in this year’s Games would carry significant risk after her severe injury in the World Cup circuit crash on January 30. Despite this, she had completed two training runs prior to the final and expressed confidence in her ability to compete at the highest level. On Saturday, Vonn wrote on Instagram, “I will race tomorrow in my final Olympic Downhill and while I can’t guarantee a good result, I can guarantee I will give it everything I have.” She concluded with, “But no matter what, I have already won.”

“@lindseyvonn 💪🏼 @lindseyvonn, you are a great inspiration and an example of perseverance. Stay strong and get well soon! 😘”

Several of her fellow athletes appeared emotional after witnessing the crash, concerned about the extent of Vonn’s injuries. Retired Slovenian skier and two-time Olympic gold medalist Tina Maze reflected, “We all know the difficulties that Lindsey was going through these last days and to come to the race I think she just leveled up too much and risked too much and that’s why this kind of crash can happen.”