USA’s Lindsey Vonn was airlifted to hospital after a big crash (Image: MARCO BERTORELLO, AFP via Getty Images)
Gold medalist Breezy Johnson expressed her sympathy towards Lindsey Vonn following the skiing legend’s horrifying crash that cast a shadow over her triumph in the women’s downhill at the Winter Olympics. Vonn’s run at Cortina ended in disaster just 13 seconds in, requiring an air ambulance to transport her to hospital in distressing circumstances.
The 41-year-old had chosen to take part in the competition merely nine days after tearing ligaments in her left knee. She struck a gate during her initial jump and came down hard, clearly suffering immense pain.
The former Olympic champion’s accident caused considerable concern amongst spectators, yet the competitors yet to race were required to carry on. Vonn’s misfortune created mixed emotions for Johnson, who claimed gold by the narrowest of margins—just 0.4 seconds—having competed sixth in the running order.
The 30-year-old looked on anxiously as Vonn came to grief on the 13th attempt of the day, though her time of one minute 36.10 seconds remained unbeaten. After receiving her gold medal, Johnson, who was unable to compete at the 2022 Olympics following her own course crash and knee injury, expressed her concern for Vonn. “I hope it’s not as bad as it looked and I know how difficult it is to ski this course,” she said.
Breezy Johnson has sent a message to her USA teammate Lindsey Vonn (Image: Getty)
“And how sometimes, because you love this course so much, when you crash on it and it hurts you like that, it hurts that much worse.”
Speaking about her victory, she responded: “I sort of still can’t believe it yet, I don’t know when it will sink in yet. I knew I had to push and go harder than I did in training. I had to be super clean and I felt like I did that.”
Jackie Wiles of Team USA, who finished fourth in the downhill, spoke about Vonn’s performance: “Watching Lindsey go down from the start was pretty awful. I mean, we have such a sisterhood. I mean, we travel with each other on the road.
“We’re a family and to watch someone that you care about so much, it really sucks, and my heart kind of just broke for her in that moment.”
Vonn’s sister, Karin Kildow, told NBC: “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. 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. So it’s really hard to see, but we just really hope she’s okay. She does have all of her surgeons and her PT staff here and her doctors, so I’m sure they’ll give us a report and we’ll meet her at whatever hospital she’s at.”
Johan Eliasch, the president of the International Ski Federation, was asked if it was a mistake for Vonn to risk her health by competing with an ACL injury. “Knowing Lindsay, she knows her body, she knows her injuries, and she knows also what she’s capable of,” he said.
“So, I’m sure she made a correct decision to start today. Everybody had such high expectations. And yeah, it’s tragic, but again, it’s ski racing and accidents do happen.”