CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Lindsey Vonn, racing on a badly injured left knee, crashed early in the Olympic downhill on Sunday and was taken off the course by a helicopter after the 41-year-old American received medical attention on the snow for long, anguished minutes.

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. Her condition was not immediately known, with the U.S. Ski Team saying simply she would be evaluated.

Breezy Johnson, Vonn’s teammate, won gold and became only the second American woman to win the Olympic downhill after Vonn did it 16 years ago. The 30-year-old Johnson held off Emma Aicher of Germany and Italy’s Sofia Goggia on a bittersweet day for Team USA.

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.

Vonn’s crash was “tragic, but it’s ski racing,” said Johan Eliasch, president of the Internationl 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.”

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, too. 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. In truth, 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’d planned, with a top result of seventh in the super-G.

“It’s definitely weird,” she said then, “going from the hospital bed to the start gate.”

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 is a course that had always suited Vonn. She tested out the knee twice in downill 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.”

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

From the outside, Elle Ward looked like the life and soul of the party; funny, outgoing and confident. But inside, she was crumbling.

‘I could be in the middle of a conversation, looking like I’m having a good time. But in my head I am constantly asking if I’m doing it right, if these people even like me. I had a constant internal voice questioning everything,’ the mother-of-one from Orpington explains.

Elle, 28, struggled with self-harm, depression and poor self-esteem as a teenager, and often clashed with her parents. By her late twenties, juggling single motherhood and a demanding teaching job, she was dangerously low.

‘On the drive to work, I would be silently begging someone to crash into my car, so I wouldn’t have to do it myself,’ she tells Metro.

In October 2024, burnt out from work and depressed after the end of a long relationship, Elle decided she no longer wanted to live.

‘I was going off the rails. I was driving, taking recreational drugs every Friday and Saturday night. By Sunday I wasn’t a very nice person,’ she remembers. ‘My relationship with my parents was worse than ever. Everyone understandably thought I was selfish, but I was ill. I just felt – I can’t do this anymore.’

That week, without anyone knowing, Elle quietly said her goodbyes. She took her eight-year-old son on trips to the zoo, the amusement arcade and London, spent time with her grandparents, and had dinner with her parents.

‘I was at peace with ending my life. And it sounds strange, but it was probably the best I’d felt in such a long time,’ she recalls.

Elle doesn’t remember what happened after she kissed her parents goodnight and went up to her bedroom, but a chance visit from a neighbour saved her life and she was rushed to A&E. Two days later, she was transferred to a psychiatric ward in Sidcup.

Arriving at five in the morning, Elle was greeted by a man in a dress playing loud music in the communal area.

‘I was petrified, and not in the head space to speak to anyone,’ she explains. ‘For the first week, I was so scared. I didn’t think I belonged somewhere like that – but that couldn’t have been further from the truth.’

With her phone and toiletries confiscated, Elle was shown to her room, where everything was bolted to the floor. There, she stayed in bed for days.

‘I refused to talk to anyone and just lay on the plastic mattress staring at the ceiling. I didn’t shower, I didn’t eat. I might as well have been dead, because that is what it felt like,’ she admits.

One morning she woke to find another patient hiding in her room. ‘I heard a voice say, “You’re finally awake.” I didn’t know if it was real or a dream. Later, staff found him. I was terrified.’

Gradually, Elle began to talk to other patients. ‘A lot of the people were so nice. And so were the staff. I look back on it now as the best and worst six weeks of my life, because for the first time I was around people that understood. I didn’t have to hide anymore.

‘One man, who wore women’s leggings, a high-vis jacket and had no front teeth, turned out to be one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. If he hadn’t seen me, he’d get staff to check I was eating. I could kick myself for judging him.’

However, Elle says she was disappointed by the lack of professional support. Besides medication, she only saw a psychiatrist twice in six weeks and had no individual therapy. Promised activities were often cancelled due to staff shortages and she found group work to be useless.

As Christmas approached, the mum felt desperate to return home to her son and she was discharged. Once home, her suicidal feelings returned. 

‘I felt safe in hospital, but as soon as I’d come back, there was just everything at your fingertips. And no one can protect you from everything all the time.’

Elle was told she would see the home treatment team within 48 hours. However, she says that the appointment ‘was the most pointless 15 minutes of my life. A complete box-ticking exercise. I was then discharged from them and told I’d be picked up by the community mental health team within seven days.’

Weeks passed, then months – all with no support. Her mum desperately phoned services – her GP, the hospital, the home treatment team, the community mental health team – again and again, only to be passed from one team to another.

Eventually Elle received a letter containing a psychiatrist’s appointment in May. ‘I cried and told my mum – I don’t think I can last that long,’ she remembers. ‘We thought about private care but couldn’t afford it.’

At night, Elle would lay wide awake, her mind whirring. During the day she was too nervous to leave the house. ‘Everyone around me was on eggshells. I could just see the worry in their faces. It confirmed the idea in my head that I wasn’t really worth it,’ she says.

Sadly, Elle made further attempts on her life, but she stopped going to hospital, because, she says, ‘she didn’t see the point.’

It wasn’t until last August that Elle finally received meaningful help, when she received a referral to see an ‘absolutely brilliant’ NHS psychologist.

‘She follows me up, books appointments, and calls weekly to check in,’ explains Elle. ‘She treats me like a human being.’ 

The regular support has been invaluable and feeling stronger and stable, Elle has since begun sharing her experience online. She’s also heard from others who have been through the same and seen gaps in care, which inspired Elle to set up the charity What About Now, named after the question she asked when discharged with no follow up.

With the aim to create community spaces for people who feel isolated or unsupported, the charity’s main initiative, Chatty Corner, partners with local cafés in Bromley and Bexley where Elle sets aside time each week for anyone to drop in for companionship, a listening ear, practical advice or simply a safe place to talk. She hopes to expand the model nationally, building an inclusive network that makes support accessible regardless of income.

‘I don’t think anyone should be discharged from hospital into nothing. People deserve meaningful aftercare and more needs to be done to protect people when they are at their most vulnerable,’ the mum, who has written a book about her experience, adds.

‘I am much stronger now. I keep busy with my son and the charity. I still have bad days, but I feel the best I’ve felt in a long time. However, I am angry because I nearly died, and my little boy nearly lost his mum because I fell through the cracks. I don’t want anyone else to go through what I did.’

Metro has contacted Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust for comment.

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America skier Lindsey Vonn crashed at the Winter Olympics.

American skiing legend Lindsey Vonn has endured a devastating crash during the downhill event at the Winter Olympics.

The 41-year-old was representing Team USA despite battling a ruptured ACL in the lead-up to the Milan Cortina Games. The former Olympic champion had been tipped as a strong contender for the title before her earlier injury setback.

Vonn hung up her skis in 2019 but a partial knee replacement in 2024 paved the way for her return to competitive skiing. Her Olympic ambitions took a blow following a crash in late January.

However, she remained determined to compete and successfully completed her mandatory training runs earlier in the week. What could have been a remarkable comeback ultimately ended in heartbreak as Vonn lay still on the slope during the women’s downhill final.

She quickly received assistance and was airlifted to the hospital. The scene drew an emotional reaction from the BBC’s broadcast team.

“I actually feel guilty that I am this emotional,” said commentator Chemmy Alcott. “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.”

The commentator added: “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.”

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IRAN’s top diplomat claimed today that enemies “fear” its atomic bomb, while refusing to stop the nuclear program which the country claims is “peaceful”.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi refused to budge on nukes, despite growing US pressure for a deal to wind down their development.

Speaking to diplomats at a summit in Tehran, he said: “I believe the secret of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s power lies in its ability to stand against bullying, domination and pressures from others.

“They fear our atomic bomb, while we are not pursuing an atomic bomb.

“Our atomic bomb is the power to say no to the great powers.

“The secret of the Islamic Republic’s power is in the power to say no to the powers.”

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Araghchi insisted that he wasn’t intimidated by US President Donald Trump’s threats to “do a Venezuela” on Iran unless it agrees to a nukes deal.

Trump recently warned mullahs that the “consequences would be steep” if Iran did not back down.

He added that the US armada near Iran would “wait around awhile” as it did before last month’s raid on Caracas when Venezuelan tyrant Nicolas Maduro and his wife were snatched.

But Araghchi claimed that “military deployment in the region does not scare us”.

He said the blood-soaked regime will never stop enriching uranium, even if the US strikes Iran.

It comes as US special envoy for peace missions Steve Witkoff visited huge aircraft carrier the USS Abraham Lincoln as it lies, poised to strike, in the Arabian sea.

Witkoff said the soldiers were “keeping us safe and upholding President Trump’s message of peace through strength”, as tensions rise in the region.

He wrote on X: “We thanked the sailors and Marines, observed live flight operations, and spoke with the pilot who downed an Iranian drone that approached the carrier without clear intent.

“Proud to stand with the men and women who defend our interests, deter our adversaries, and show the world what American readiness and resolve look like, on watch every day.”

Peace talks in Oman collapsed after supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s henchmen refused to co-operate after US military chief General Brad Cooper arrived unexpectedly.

Sources likened it to “conducting negotiations with a gun on the table”.

The US and Iran were still in peace talks at the time of Trump’s huge  surprise stealth bomber attack, which hit Iranian nuclear sites in June last year.

Trump is set to meet Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu this week to discuss progress on nuke talks.

It comes as brave Iranians told The Sun that the world has yet to “grasp the depth of catastrophe” of the regime’s bloody crackdown on protests.

Witnesses said the Ayatollah’s ruthless stooges gunned down children, burned bodies with acid, and broke the limbs of protesters.

The Prince and Princess of Wales reportedly stunned diners with an unexpected visit to a luxurious restaurant in the ‘ski capital of the world’ in the idyllic French Alps

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Prince William and Kate gave diners an unexpected treat when they popped into a lavish restaurant tucked away in the stunning French Alps. The Royal pair reportedly took a break at the Courchevel ski resort, nestled in the Tarentaise Valley.

A magnet for Michelin-starred establishments, Courchevel – called the “Saint Tropez of the slopes” or the “ski capital of the world” – has drawn in A-listers, having previously welcomed the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, the Beckhams, and Elton John.

Last month, the Prince and Princess of Wales were spotted at a mountainside eatery, with fellow guests whipping out their cameras as the Royal duo headed off.

A member of staff revealed to The Mail’s Harriet Kean: “They had a very nice time and were very polite.” Harriet also noted the future king and his wife looked “immaculate” kitted out in their skiing gear.

The encounter clearly left its mark on one particular diner, who gushed: “I couldn’t believe I was having lunch in the same restaurant as Kate and William. They looked adorable in their beanie hats.”

This wouldn’t mark the first occasion the Wales family have headed to the French Alps, with reports suggesting they initially visited back in 2016, bringing along their eldest youngsters.

Meanwhile, in what was described by a source as a “Middleton knees-up”, the family, which includes three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, were also said to have enjoyed a skiing holiday last year.

In other news, the young Prince George made headlines yesterday when a royal expert claimed that the second in line to the throne was faced with a “daunting” reality as he braces for a “testing year”.

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The 12-year-old prince will celebrate his thirteenth birthday on July 22 and is also preparing to start secondary school. Speaking to the Mirror, Royal commentator Jennie Bond said: “Certainly, as a family, the Waleses do have a complicated destiny.

“They can’t pretend that there is total equality between their three children because one of them is going to be the ultimate top dog – the King. And that obviously creates different issues for each child.”

She added: “For George, it must be daunting, but I think William and Catherine are intent on letting him just enjoy his childhood for as long as possible without worrying about the future.”

Jennie said Catherine was an “acknowledged expert” in the area of early years development, noting that she is “the most capable person” to deal with the children and “reassure them of their worth”.

During a reception for the Red Roses held at Windsor Castle, the Princess of Wales revealed an anecdote about her children playing rugby at home, humorously confessing that she does “not want to get tackled by George”.

She expressed: “Rugby is so accessible, Louis is playing touch rugby and it’s such a great game. Actually, they shouldn’t necessarily need to push boys and girls in particular sports too early.

“Obviously, as they get physically stronger – George now, if we play at home, I do not want to get tackled by George – but, up to a certain age, I think it’s great.”

Lindsey Vonn has suffered a devastating crash in the women’s downhill skiing final at the Winter Olympics.

The 41-year-old American ruptured her ACL in a crash at a World Cup race in Switzerland on 30 January but was determined to compete at the Olympics nevertheless.

Just 13 seconds into her final run in Cortina, northern Italy, on Sunday, Vonn crashed on the piste, having clipped a slalom flag while mid-air.

The Team USA athlete was heard screaming after the crash as she was surrounded by medical personnel.

She was then strapped to a gurney and flown to hospital by helicopter.

The severity of her injuries is not known.

Vonn was considered a medal hopeful despite her ruptured ACL and completed two impressive training runs earlier this week.

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The UK heritage shoemaker Russell & Bromley has been bought by high-street clothing giant Next. Despite the brand’s rescue from administration, dozens of jobs will be lost in initial redundancies, and there are rumours that more than 30 shops could close. As one of the few independently owned footwear brands left in the UK, the sale spells another loss to the industrial heritage of the British footwear industry.

The closure of fashion stores is nothing new, and the gradual demise of the British high street has been well documented. In fact, research in 2021 revealed that the fastest-declining sector on the UK high street was fashion retail. Shifts in consumer behaviour driven by online shopping, alongside fast fashion, placed inevitable pressure on independent, mid- to high-end stores like Russell & Bromley.

With so much competition (particularly in the context of footwear, where many clothing retailers and supermarkets have added shoe lines), staying relevant has become even more challenging.

What set Russell & Bromley apart was its long history. It was founded in 1880 in Sussex and continued under the leadership of five generations of the same family. It has a strongly defined heritage as a British independent brand, with a focus on craftsmanship and understated luxury.

It has also been a favourite of the Princess of Wales, which guaranteed the brand further endorsement. More recently, another brand linked to the princess, LK Bennett, was sold to the owner of Poundland. LK Bennett was founded in 1990, also as a high-end shoe retailer, later branching out into clothing as well.

The Russell & Bromley sale followed the announcement that heritage sports shoe brand Gola had been acquired by Japanese conglomerate Marubeni – a response to booming sales in retro trainers. Gola, too, has a long history. It was founded in Leicester, once a centre for British shoemaking in 1905, making it one of Britain’s oldest sportswear brands.

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Its origins were in making football boots, but in the 1960s the brand took off with its Harrier style being favoured by football fans, and its later endorsement by celebrities including Liam Gallagher and Paul Weller. But in recent years, Gola struggled to compete with the powerhouses of Nike and Adidas.

The cases of Russell & Bromley and Gola exemplify the challenges of maintaining independence in the complex global footwear industry where conglomerates are taking a dominant stance. The brands’ change in ownership highlights the transformation of what was once a flourishing footwear manufacturing and retail industry.

Dominance and decline

The 1960s was the heyday of fashion retail on the British high street with the emergence of boutiques like Mary Quant’s Bazaar and the advent of Topshop in 1964, which brought a new, younger consumer.

Footwear retailers were always a staple on the high street, with brands like Dolcis, and Lilley and Skinner. Both were part of the Leicester-based conglomerate the British Shoe Corporation, and alongside Clarks and Russell & Bromley they captured the footwear retail market.

But the UK’s fashion footwear retail industry started to decline in the 1990s with the closure of the British Shoe Corporation and its huge portfolio of stores.

This decline in shoe retail followed a significant change in the UK’s footwear manufacturing industry. While Northampton remains a centre of excellence for men’s footwear manufacturing, shoe factories in Leicester started to close from the 1980s. They could no longer compete with the prices and volumes of manufacturers in Brazil, India and China.

Recently, China has taken the lead in global shoe manufacturing, adapting the traditional skills and craftsmanship with technical advances and the ability to produce high volumes.

So where does Next fit into this picture? In 1982, the Midlands-based clothing company opened its first womenswear store and by 1988 had launched the Next Directory, which introduced home delivery. Consumers no longer had to go to separate shops to find shoes to match their outfits – suddenly it was all available in one place.

It was not just Leicester that suffered the decline of its footwear industry. London also had a long history in shoemaking, but failed to weather the competitive landscape. The 1990s saw an increase in international brands and retailers entering the UK retail space, placing further competition on domestic brands.

Despite this uncertainty and change in UK footwear and retail, Russell & Bromley continued to thrive well into the 21st century. This is testament to its position as a high-end retailer that sold its own well-crafted shoes and bags with the desirable Made in Italy label. Investments in a refresh in 2025 may have proved too costly, as the market became increasingly difficult.

While there is plenty of choice for consumers at the lower and designer ends of the footwear market, the mid to high-price points where Russell & Bromley sits could perhaps be at risk of becoming squeezed out.

Italy, Spain and Portugal have maintained their rich shoemaking heritage. While this has much to do with legacy, it may also be the result of these countries’ continued endorsement by luxury brands, where the allure of artisanal shoes resonates with higher price points.

Despite the sales, the Russell & Bromley and Gola brands are not being lost. Under their new owners, they will be able to go on representing the legacy of the British footwear industry, which has been defined by heritage, fashion and craftsmanship.

it might not be on many people’s must-visit lists but people love it here.

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It might not be on many tourists’ must-visit lists but locals in this town say they can’t think of anywhere they’d rather live. Just half an hour from Sheffield, and around 90 minutes from Manchester, it’s home to a thriving community, a stunning market and a huge range of independent shops.

Meeting with residents and shop owners on a grey day, life in the town bustles on despite the gloomy weather. Chesterfield is known for its historic crooked church spire which dominates its skyline. In recent years, the town has begun to grow, with plenty more on the horizon.

Alec Chapman-Taylor, 32, works at the Cheese Factor. The business has become a core part of the town with people travelling into Chesterfield to purchase its cheese. There’s a constant flow of customers despite the dull weather.

He says: “There’s a new market square, that’s going to be like the new event square. It’s fantastic. It looks a lot better. I think it’s hard to be an independent business these days. I really do think it’s hard. Luckily for us, Simon, who owns the place, has been here since the 60s with his dad.

“I’ve worked in the town now for probably the last maybe 10 or 15 years. Chesterfield has this kind of unique position where we have the heritage here. So the town hall is quite old. Again, I’d say the market’s quite old and traditional. It’s been going on for a long time. A lot of people have family connections to the market too which makes it really special.”

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He says one of the town’s strengths is its quirky independent shops and he estimates there are around 80 in Chesterfield.

He adds: “The Davidson family have been running a cheese store since the early 60s, I’ve only been working here for two years but I’ve lived in Chesterfield since the mid-90s and I love it. I really love it. I’ve lived in quite a few places including Manchester, but I always came back to Chesterfield. It’s the perfect size and it’s got anything you want. I just really enjoy it, the people are really nice. It’s got some fantastic bars. I’m bringing up a family here. All my brothers and sisters all live here too – we’ve moved our family from elsewhere to Chesterfield.”

In terms of improvements, he says he has always wanted to see more events – and those have started to be put on now too. He explains: “We had an animatronic dinosaurs day which was great for the kids and we had a 1940s market which people loved too.”

Out on the high street, plenty of shoppers are milling around, dipping in and out of shops. Janice Wallhead, 72, is out shopping for the day. She says: “I’ve lived here for 40 years and I like it here. I can walk into town and I do think the high street is good but I would like to see a bit more variation. We have lost a few things over the years – a few of the fashion shops. There’s been some money spent on improving the market but I still think there’s other things that need to be improved in town other than just the market.”

Bringing new life to a well-known pub, The Royal Oak, Patrick Hopman, 30 and Meg Hopman, 29, say they think Chesterfield has a lot to offer. The couple have become known among local business owners for defying the odds and making a success of the pub despite the current economic climate.

The two former school teachers say the pub has been a great success – and stepping inside, it’s not hard to see why. Walking through a small door on a side street, the building opens up once you’re inside. Bright orange walls are adorned with memorabilia which the pair have collected. From decorative plates to signs and posters, it’s a feast for the eyes.

At the other side of the bar is a church-like setting, not too dissimilar from the set of a film. There’s stained glass windows, high ceilings and dried flowers.

The couple have clearly established the pub as a place to visit and a destination in the town. Pat says: “We took a bit of a punt by buying this pub but we’ve been really pleasantly surprised. We’ve had it for a year but we reopened it in April last year.

“Chesterfield has a few really unique buildings, the Spire is the main one. But after that, our pub is on the list for sure – school trips actually come and sit outside on our benches.”

Pat grew up in London and Meg grew up in Devon but they say they now feel at home in Chesterfield. They both agree that, at first, they wanted to live in Sheffield but due to Chesterfield being cheaper, they opted for the town instead – with the thought that Sheffield is just a short drive away.

But after living in Chesterfield, they say that everything they need is there, and they find themselves visiting Sheffield less and less. Pat says: “We’re about five minutes’ drive from the Peak District. We’re perfectly situated for Sheffield, Derby and Nottingham. It’s less than two hours into London. We even went to Newcastle last weekend which is only two hours away as well. Location wise, it’s great.”

Pat adds: “There’s quite a lot of negativity around, especially when I’ve been to loads of meetings where everyone says the town centre’s dead. I think it’s complete rubbish – certainly from what we’ve seen.”

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Locals say the town is one filled with creativity and life. Emily Bowman, 44, managing director at Junction Arts, which is a community based arts charity based in the town, is keen to have an array of artists paint murals on some of the town’s buildings to add colour and vibrancy.

Arriving at its new home, there’s paintings and sculptures dotted around as we head to the conference room to talk about Chesterfield’s future. On February 1, a total of 11 local creatives took up a spot in the building.

Emily says she has high hopes for the town. She told the Express: “All of our work is grassroots and up so we work really closely with our community and there’s a real sense of pride in where people are from, what our communities have been through.

“We’re an ex-mining community and ex-industrial so there’s been quite a lot of change but there is a real sense of history in our town. It echoes across our business and across the community.”

Emily says that in May, she is looking forward to the Chesterfield Make-Off which will see around 40 artists “making and creating”. She adds that it’s an opportunity for locals to get involved and “see what we’ve got on our doorstep and how brilliant it is”.

She adds: “It’s really important to recognise the huge ambition for the future of Chesterfield.” Chesterfield might not be your first thought for a day out, but it’s a place that is definitely putting itself on the map. With affordable homes and great transport connections to larger cities nearby, it’s no surprise that so many people don’t want to leave.

American skiing legend Lindsey Vonn crashed hard in the Winter Olympics downhill event, nine days on from rupturing her ACL.

The 41-year-old was the 13th of 36 racers to take to the Olympia delle Tofane course in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where she has won a record 12 World Cups.

But she crashed hard in the top section of the course after catching her shoulder on a gate, with her injured left leg – which has no functioning ACL – giving way.

Medics attended to her quickly and she was put on a stretcher and airlifted to hospital while the competition was paused.

BBC Sport commentator and former Alpine skier Chemmy Alcott said: “I feel guilty that I am this emotional. I just never believed it would end in a clump at the side of the piece not moving. What we saw that the top of the piece is really hard for a fit athlete, she just had her right knee. It is brutal, think about her family, her team and herself.

“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. There is clapping and there is hope that she would be okay but they have put up some background music because it is uncomfortable.”

Double Olympic champion Tina Maze, speaking on Eurosport and TNT Sports coverage, said: “We all know the difficulties Lindsey was going through in the last days, and I think in the end she risked too much.

“This kind of crash can happen of course, if you are not healthy the consequences are even worse, but Lindsey wanted to do this no matter what. It’s really tough for everyone here to see this especially for her family and teammates and everyone working with her. It’s just terrible. A tough day.”

Teammate and reigning downhill world champion Breezy Johnson set the fastest time of the early starters, 1.36:10.