Agony in the Alps: Skiing icon Lindsey Vonn’s defiant Olympic return ends in helicopter evacuation

Vonn was first taken to a clinic in Cortina before being transferred to Ca’ Foncello hospital in Treviso, roughly two hours south, the report said. The video of the incident has since gone viral, capturing the chilling moment Vonn’s skates went off track.

Watch here:

In the NFL, coaches are held responsible for player safety. By that standard, Lindsey Vonn shouldn’t have been cleared to race. After her crash and airlift, Andorra’s Cande Moreno also suffered a serious fall and was airlifted out. Praying both are okay. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/wvO6AQj6KQ

— Digital Daisy (@DigitalDaisyX) February 8, 2026

The video quickly gained traction, drawing a range of reactions. “Clipping a gate at that speed is just enough to set you balance and line off. Hope she recovers as she is a great ambassador for USA,” a user wrote.

“She completed the required training run as well as the optional 2nd with competitive times. I think that shows they weren’t in error clearing her,” another user commented.

Hospital officials said she was being “treated by a multidisciplinary team” and had “undergone an orthopaedic operation to stabilise a fracture reported in her left leg”. The US Ski Team confirmed she was “in stable condition and in good hands with a team of American and Italian physicians.”

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

Vonn’s fall was “tragic, but it’s ski racing,” said Johan Eliasch, president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation. “I can only say thank you for what she has done for our sport,” he said. “Because this race has been the talk of the Games and it’s put our sport in the best possible light.”

Vonn’s family watched from the stands, including her father, Alan Kildow. The crowd, which included rapper Snoop Dogg, remained quiet as she was finally taken away.