Lindsey Vonn crashes in remaining downhill earlier than Winter Olympics

Crans-Montana, Switzerland — Lindsey Vonn crashed in her remaining downhill earlier than the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday and was left limping and retaining weight off her left knee.

Vonn misplaced management when touchdown a bounce in a World Cup race and ended up tangled within the security nets on the higher portion of the course.

She finally acquired up after receiving medical consideration and walked away gingerly, taking weight off her left knee and utilizing her poles to regular herself. She then clicked her skis again on however stopped to examine her left knee.

Final month, Vonn raced to a stunningly quick win in a World Cup downhill at St. Moritz to earn her first victory in almost eight years — and the primary in her comeback with titanium implants in her proper knee after a five-year retirement.

Vonn finally made it to the end space Friday and limped right into a tent for medical consideration. The race was later canceled after three of the primary six racers crashed.

Earlier than she entered the tent, Vonn had an anxious expression on her face and her eyes had been closed throughout a protracted embrace with teammate Jacquelin Wiles, who was main the race when it was canceled.

The 41-year-old Vonn has been the circuit’s main downhiller this season with two victories and three different podium finishes, having returned final season after a partial proper knee titanium substitute.

The crash occurred precisely every week earlier than the Milan Cortina opening ceremony.

Vonn’s first Olympic race is the ladies’s downhill on Feb. 8. She was additionally planning on competing within the super-G and the brand new crew mixed occasion on the Video games.

Ladies’s snowboarding on the Olympics will likely be held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the place Vonn holds the document of 12 World Cup wins.

Vonn was additionally planning on racing a super-G in Crans-Montana on Saturday in what would have been her remaining race earlier than the Video games.

Vonn had registered the quickest time on the first checkpoint after which landed a bounce off steadiness, lifted her left arm and pole excessive into the air in an try to regain her steadiness. Then as she tried to brake, Vonn acquired spun round and ended up within the nets.

Vonn was the sixth racer to start out and two different skiers had additionally crashed earlier than her: Nina Ortlieb of Austria and Marte Monsen of Norway.

Ortlieb crashed on high in the identical space as Vonn and Monsen hit the nets simply earlier than the end space and needed to be taken away in a sled. The race was delayed after each of these crashes. However then two racers – Wiles and Corrine Suter, the Olympic champion, accomplished their runs.

Romane Miradoli of France, who did full her run, mentioned visibility was a problem, with snow falling.

“You may’t see,” Miradoli mentioned, “and it is bumpy in all places.”

Requested if it was harmful, Miradoli added, “We simply could not see nicely.”

Vonn has had quite a few crashes in her profession. Considered one of her worst was on the 2013 world championships in Schladming, Austria, throughout a super-G that was additionally held in troublesome circumstances. Vonn then needed to be airlifted off the course and tore aside her proper knee. She returned the next season, acquired damage once more and missed the 2014 Sochi Olympics.