Vonn says Winter Olympics comeback dream ‘not over’ despite injury in crash

Lindsey Vonn crashed and injured her near genu connected Friday successful her last downhill contention earlier the Olympics, but said she inactive hopes to retrieve successful clip for the Milan Cortina Winter Games.

“This is simply a precise hard result 1 week earlier the Olympics … but if there’s 1 happening I cognize however to do, it’s a comeback,” the 41-year-old American wrote connected Instagram, hours aft she was airlifted disconnected the people for aesculapian checks. “My Olympic imagination is not over.”

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Vonn was the 3rd skier to crash successful the World Cup contention successful Crans-Montana erstwhile she mislaid power portion landing a leap and ended up tangled successful the information nets connected the precocious information of the course.

She got up aft receiving aesculapian attraction for astir 5 minutes, seemingly successful symptom and utilizing her poles to dependable herself. Vonn past skied dilatory to the decorativeness line, stopping a mates of times connected the mode down and clutching her near knee.

“I crashed contiguous successful the Downhill contention successful Switzerland and injured my near knee. I americium discussing the concern with my doctors and squad and volition proceed to acquisition further exams,” Vonn wrote successful her Instagram post. “Thank you for each of the emotion and support. I volition springiness much accusation erstwhile I person it.”

The race, which was held successful hard conditions with debased visibility, was cancelled aft Vonn’s crash.

The American, who was expected to beryllium 1 of the biggest stars of the Games, limped into a structure for aesculapian attraction earlier being airlifted distant by helicopter, dangling from a hoist cablegram with 2 radical attending her.

Before she entered the tent, Vonn had an anxious look connected her face, and her eyes were closed during a agelong clasp with teammate Jacqueline Wiles, who was starring the contention erstwhile it was cancelled.

“I cognize she wounded her knee, I talked to her,” International Ski and Snowboard Federation CEO Urs Lehmann told reporters successful the decorativeness area. “I don’t cognize if it’s truly dense and [if] she won’t miss the Olympics. Let’s hold for what the doctors are saying.”

Vonn made a stunning comeback past play astatine property 40 aft astir six years distant from skis racing. Skiing with a partial titanium implant successful her close knee, she has been the circuit’s starring downhiller this play with 2 victories and 3 different podium finishes successful the 5 races.

Including super-G, Vonn had completed 8 World Cup races this play and finished connected the podium successful 7 of them. Her worst decorativeness was fourth.

The clang occurred precisely a week earlier the Milan Cortina opening ceremony.

Vonn’s archetypal Olympic contention is the women’s downhill connected February 8. She was besides readying connected competing successful the super-G and the caller squad combined lawsuit astatine the Games.

United States’ Lindsey Vonn earlier an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill, successful Crans Montana, wherever competitors complained of mediocre conditions [Pier Marco Tacca/AP]

Women’s skiing astatine the Olympics volition beryllium held successful Cortina d’Ampezzo, wherever Vonn holds the grounds of 12 World Cup wins.

Vonn was besides readying connected racing a super-G successful Crans-Montana connected Saturday successful what would person been her last contention earlier the Games.

Vonn was the sixth racer successful Friday’s downhill and had registered the fastest clip astatine the archetypal checkpoint earlier landing a leap off-balance. She lifted her near limb and rod precocious into the aerial successful an effort to regain her balance. As she tried to brake, she got spun astir and ended up successful the nets.

Two different skiers had besides crashed earlier her: Nina Ortlieb of Austria and Marte Monsen of Norway.

Ortlieb crashed connected apical successful the aforesaid country arsenic Vonn and Monsen deed the nets conscionable earlier the decorativeness country and had to beryllium taken distant successful a sledge. The contention was delayed aft some of those crashes. But past 2 racers – Wiles and Corinne Suter, the Olympic champion, completed their runs.

Wiles hardly could marque the choky last left-hand crook that had tricked Monsen.

Romane Miradoli of France, who did implicit her tally arsenic the 2nd to start, said visibility was an issue, with snowfall falling.

“You can’t see,” Miradoli said, “and it’s bumpy everywhere.”

Asked if it was dangerous, Miradoli added, “We conscionable couldn’t spot well.”

Vonn has had galore crashes successful her career. One of her worst was astatine the 2013 satellite championships successful Schladming, Austria, during a super-G that was besides held successful hard conditions. Vonn past had to beryllium airlifted disconnected the people and tore isolated her close knee. She returned the pursuing season, got wounded again and missed the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The contention started Friday successful a subdued temper successful Crans-Montana, which is coping with the trauma of a devastating occurrence successful a barroom successful the aboriginal hours of New Year’s Day that killed 40 radical and injured much than 100. A minute’s soundlessness was observed earlier racing.

The decorativeness country stripped of colour and the accustomed sponsor adverts. Instead, it was dressed with achromatic and achromatic banners featuring a ribbon with the words “Our thoughts are with you” written successful French, German, Italian and English.