Lindsey Vonn, racing on a badly injured left knee, crashed early in the Olympic downhill Sunday and was taken off the course by a helicopter after the 41-year-old American received medical attention on the snow.
Vonn lost control over the opening traverse after cutting the line too tight and was spun around in the air. She was heard screaming out after the crash as she was surrounded by medical personnel before she was strapped to a gurney and flown away by a helicopter, possibly ending the skier's storied career.
The race was put on hold for more than 20 minutes as Vonn received treatment. Her teammate, Breezy Johnson, won the event and joined Vonn as the only American women to win the Olympic downhill.
Vonn's crash 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 had family in the stands, including her father, Alan Kildow, who stared down at the ground while his daughter was being treated after just 13 seconds on the course.
Others in the crowd, including rapper Snoop Dogg, watched quietly as the star skier was finally taken off the course she knows so well and holds a record 12 World Cup wins.
"That definitely was the last thing we wanted to see," Vonn's sister, Karin Kildow, said in an interview on Peacock. "She always goes 110 percent, there's never anything less, so I know she put her whole heart into it and sometimes things happen. It's a very dangerous sport."
Kildow said Vonn was being evaluated and that the family would meet her at the hospital.
"We're happy everyone's cheering for her and appreciate all the support," Kildow said.
All eyes had been on Vonn, the feel-good story heading into the Olympics. She had returned to elite ski racing last season after nearly six years, a remarkable decision given her age, but she also had a partial titanium knee replacement in her right knee. Many wondered how she would fare as she sought a gold medal to join the one she won in the downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
The four-time overall World Cup champion stunned everyone by being a contender almost immediately. She came to the Olympics as the leader in the World Cup downhill standings and was a gold medal favorite before her crash in Switzerland nine days ago, when she suffered her latest knee injury. In addition to a ruptured ACL, she also had a bone bruise and meniscus damage.
Still, no one counted her out even then. She has skied through injuries for three decades at the top of the sport. In 2006, ahead of the Turin Olympics, Vonn took a bad fall during downhill training and went to the hospital. She competed less than 48 hours later, racing in all four events she had planned, with a top result of seventh in the super-G.
Cortina has always had many treasured memories for Vonn beyond the record wins. She is called the queen of Cortina, and the Olympia delle Tofana course had always suited Vonn. She tested out the knee twice in downhill training runs over the past three days before the awful crash on Sunday in clear, sunny conditions.
"This would be the best comeback I've done so far," Vonn said before the race. "Definitely the most dramatic."
After the crash, the celebration for the medalists was held and fellow skiers thought about Vonn's legacy.
"She has been my idol since I started watching ski racing," said Kajsa Vickhoff Lie of Norway. "We still have a World Cup to do after Olympics. ... I wouldn't be surprised if she suddenly shows up on the start gate, but the crash didn't look good."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
