American superstar skier Lindsey Vonn "deserved a better ending" after suffering heartbreak in what could be her final Olympic event as she crashed in the women's downhill competition in Cortina.

Vonn, 41, was competing nine days after rupturing ligaments in her left knee but hitting the gate with her ski pole on her first jump left her off balance, denying her the fairytale ending to a remarkable story.

The two-time world champion had successfully completed two training runs on the iconic Olimpia delle Tofane course but was airlifted off the piste after being tended to for a lengthy period.

A statement from the United States ski team said Vonn had "sustained an injury" but was in a "stable condition".

Compatriot Breezy Johnson was in tears as she added Olympic gold to the world title she won last year after clocking a blistering time of one minute 36.10 seconds.

The 30-year-old watched on the big screen at the finish line with her head in her hands when her team-mate crashed, having completed her run sixth while Vonn was 13th to go.

Another American, Isabella Wright, watched the crash from the top of the slope before having to complete her own run, but said she had hoped Vonn would be able to complete the race despite the anterior cruciate ligament injury she sustained nine days ago.

"If anyone can, Lindsey can. Whatever it is, or whatever the situation, she's very strong. We're going to support her the best we can," she said.

"She deserved a better ending than that so I'm heartbroken for her. I hope to see her and just support her. I know she's in good hands right now. [I'm] anxiously waiting to see her."

Germany's Emma Aicher was pipped by 0.04 seconds and took the silver medal while Italian home favourite Sofia Goggia secured bronze.

Vonn was taking a huge risk by competing on Sunday having suffered the ACL injury in Switzerland in the last World Cup race before the Games, but was determined to take to the course for her favoured event.

Stunned spectators applauded towards the helicopter as it carried her away from the piste which has brought her so much success - with 12 of her 84 World Cup wins coming here.

Vonn had been unsure what her knee was capable of withstanding but had targeted the downhill - saying she would try no matter the outcome - while also being entered in the super-G and team events.

It is now unlikely she will compete in those, meaning her Olympic career has almost certainly come to a devastating end.

'Hurts so badly but you keep coming back for more'

Vonn had appeared relaxed in the training runs and in the morning before the race. Her coach Aksel Lund Svindal said on Friday he felt confident she could pull off something spectacular.

No stranger to a comeback, Vonn retired from the sport in 2019 as the most decorated female skier at the time but had suffered several serious leg injuries.

She made a shock return to the sport in 2024 after a partial right knee replacement.

Vonn was tipped for the podium in Cortina, competing at her fifth Olympics following a successful 2025-26 season, in which she reached the podium in all five races, winning two.

But this latest crash leaves a significant doubt over whether Vonn will ski competitively again.

Johnson, who has suffered serious leg injuries of her own, said Vonn's coach had told her she was cheering her team-mate on from the helicopter.

"The work that we put in, obviously my heart aches for her," Johnson said.

"It's a tough road and it's a tough sport - that's the beauty and the madness of it. It can hurt you so badly but you keep coming back for more."

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'Brutal' ending after Vonn took 'really high risk'

Vonn knew the dangers of competing but showed defiance in a media conference earlier this week, and had even hit back at a doctor on social media who claimed the injury was "not a fresh tear".

She responded by saying her ACL is "100% torn" and had hoped to defy the odds by replicating the Olympic downhill gold medal she won in Vancouver in 2010.

Videos on social media had shown her training in the gym after she said she had no pain or swelling of the knee, while two smooth runs in the build-up to the race had given her, and her team and fans, confidence.

Four-time British Olympian Chemmy Alcott was emotional on BBC coverage and said she "never believed" it would end in this way.

"What we saw [is] that the top of the piste is really hard for a fit athlete. It is brutal - think about her family, her team and herself," she said.

"We have to be realistic - the risk was really high, the risk she takes when she falls will double that. Her body will not be able to take that."

Alcott added that the long delay would also mean the snow on the piste would begin to melt in the midday sun, meaning any racer who followed Vonn would struggle to match Johnson's time.

The crash surely unsettled the rest of the field, too, and Andorra's Cande Moreno was also airlifted off the piste after crashing into a gate.

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