Lindsey Vonn is in stable condition after undergoing emergency surgery to repair a broken leg she suffered during her violent crash in the women’s downhill at the Winter Olympics in Italy.Team officials and hospital staff say the skiing legend is recovering and expected to be okay after the procedure, which stabilized the fracture she suffered early Sunday in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Vonn’s Olympic bid came to a frightening end just seconds into her downhill run on Sunday, when she lost control and tumbled hard down the Olympia delle Tofane course. The impact left her on the snow in visible pain before medical personnel rushed in.
With concerns over her injuries on the mountain, rescuers airlifted Vonn off the slope by helicopter. She was rushed first to a local clinic and later transferred to a larger hospital in Treviso for surgery and care.
The crash marked a heartbreaking culmination to Vonn’s emotional comeback. Just days earlier, she had confirmed she would compete in Milan-Cortina despite suffering a completely ruptured ACL in her left knee during a World Cup downhill race and skiing with a rebuilt right knee that included a titanium implant.
Vonn’s attempt to make history as one of the oldest Olympic downhill competitors came with massive fan support in the Italian Alps. Moments after the crash, the crowd and fellow skiers alike watched in stunned silence as she was tended to on the snow.