Lindsey Vonn has broken her leg following a devastating crash at the Winter Olympics in Cortina on Sunday, bringing a cruel end to her Games ambitions.
The 41-year-old American's run lasted merely 13 seconds before disaster struck, with the skiing legend sent tumbling violently down the slope after striking a marker on the course.
Medical teams rushed to attend to Vonn as she lay stricken on the mountainside, her cries of pain audible to spectators who had fallen silent in shock.
The 2010 downhill gold medallist was subsequently airlifted from the Italian resort to a hospital in Treviso, where surgeons operated on her left leg to stabilise the fracture.
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
Her US team has confirmed she remains in stable condition.
Vonn had crested a hill at speed before careering into one of the plastic markers lining the track, sending her crashing to the ground.
Her right leg appeared to make initial contact with the slope as a cloud of snow enveloped her, before she tumbled forward and struck her shoulder against the piste.
Lindsey Vonn has broken her leg following a devastating crash at the Winter Olympics in Cortina on Sunday, bringing a cruel end to her Games ambitions
|GETTY
Alarm grew when it became apparent her skis had failed to release from her boots as she lay writhing in the snow.
The American was heard crying out as medical personnel carefully transferred her onto a stretcher.
A hospital statement confirmed: "In the afternoon, she underwent orthopedic surgery to stabilise the fracture sustained in her left leg."
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Lindsey Vonn crashed while competing at the Winter Olympics with a serious ACL injury | REUTERSVonn was subsequently moved to intensive care, though this was reportedly for additional privacy rather than due to any heightened medical concern.
The 41-year-old's decision to compete came just nine days after she had ruptured cruciate ligaments in her left knee during a warm-up event in Switzerland.
Despite the severity of that injury, she had declared her intention to race in Italy, stunning observers by recording the third-fastest time in final practice.
The crash brought a distressing conclusion to her fifth Olympic Games appearance.
Questions had already been raised about whether the 2010 champion was taking an undue risk by entering the competition, particularly given she had undergone knee reconstruction surgery in 2024.
During Friday's training session, Vonn had posted a time 1.39 seconds behind the quickest run.
Lindsey Vonn was airlifted to hospital after her crash | GETTYShe improved on Saturday, clocking one minute and 38 seconds, finishing 37 seconds adrift of teammate Breezy Johnson, who claimed gold on Sunday.
Vonn's family watched in horror from the base of the slope as the incident unfolded. Her sister, Karin Kildow, spoke emotionally about witnessing the crash.
"I mean that definitely was the last thing we wanted to see and it happened quick and when that happens, you're just immediately hoping she's okay," Kildow told NBC.
"And it was scary because when you start to see the stretchers being put out, it's not a good sign. But she really ... she just dared greatly and she put it all out there."
The downhill event was halted following the accident, with competitors at the start gate removing their skis while awaiting Vonn's evacuation from the mountain.
Vonn, who has accumulated 84 World Cup victories across various alpine disciplines throughout her distinguished career, has not yet issued a statement.