The 41-year-old American sporting legend was airlifted to hospital after a crash on the slopes during the women’s downhill skiing final.
American skiing legend Lindsey Vonn endured a horror crash on her Olympic return in the women’s downhill and was airlifted to hospital. Hopes of a victorious comeback six years on from retirement had been hit by a serious knee injury suffered less than a fortnight out from the finals.
But the 41-year-old decided to compete in the winter Olympics. She burst out of the start in the final but caught a gate with her right arm after just 13 seconds, sending her tumbling down the slope to a halt.
She lay motionless on the slopes during the women’s downhill skiing final before being airlifted to hospital. The incident sparked an emotional reaction from the BBC’s broadcast team.
The Mirror reports Chemmy Alcott choked up as she said: “I actually feel guilty that I am this emotional. When we thought about the end of this story, we never thought and never believed that it would end in her in a clump at the side of the piece, not moving.
“What we saw is the top section is running very fast. The left-footer is really hard for healthy athletes.
“She is trying to throw herself down this, gunning for the podium. She doesn’t have a left knee, she drops her hip back and this is an absolute nightmare. It is an absolute nightmare.
“The whole world is watching and we wanted to see her come through the finish smiling, because she was fast, we wanted to see her take on this challenge, it is just really tough.
“I feel so bad that I feel this way because her family and all over her team… it is so sad.
“We have to be realistic. The risk was really really high for her to take on the G-force of this downhill.
“The risk she faced when you fall are double that. Her body will not be able to withstand that. The crowd here, everyone is feeling it. There is intermittent clapping and I think that is hope that she is going to get up.
“But then the screen comes on and we see all the medical staff around here. They have actually had to put on some background noise because it is quite uncomfortable.”