Lindsey Vonn Misses First Race After Suffering Injury 1 Week Before Winter Olympics: ‘Doing My Best'

NEED TO KNOW

• Lindsey Vonn missed the World Cup super-G race at Crans-Montana in Switzerland on Saturday, Jan. 31
• A day prior, Vonn injured her left knee when she lost control during the Downhill race
• The crash came just one week before she's set to compete at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Lindsey Vonn is cheering on her teammates amid her recovery. 

On Saturday, Jan. 31, the alpine ski racer, 41, announced that she would be unable to compete in the Super-G at Crans-Montana in Switzerland after being injured when she crashed in the downhill race the day before.

“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to race today,” Vonn captioned a video shared on Instagram of herself competing in the Jan. 30 World Cup race. “Wishing all my teammates a great race 💪🏻 🇺🇸.”

“Thank you for all of the love and support I have received,” she continued. “Means the world to me. Doing my best right now…. 🙏🏻🤞🏻.”

The ski champion was injured just one week before she's set to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics. After Vonn lost control and ended up in the safety nets, she was attended to by medical staff and appeared to be clutching her left knee. 

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She then got up and appeared to be limping, according to CBS News. After skiing down to the bottom of the course, Vonn was airlifted to a nearby hospital. 

"I crashed today in the Downhill race in Switzerland and injured my left knee,” Vonn wrote in a statement shared on Instagram later that day. “I am discussing the situation with my doctors and team and will continue to undergo further exams.”

"This is a very difficult outcome one week before the Olympics… but if there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s a comeback,” she added. "My Olympic dream is not over. Thank you for all of the love and support. I will give more information when I have it. Thank you to all the medical staff who helped me today. I am grateful for all the incredible help I received."

Before Vonn lost her footing during the World Cup race, Norway’s Marte Monsen and Austria’s Nina Ortlieb, who were also set to race at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics next week, also suffered the same fate on the same course at roughly the same spot. 

After the third crash, organizers ultimately made the decision to cancel the race due to low visibility. 

“The flat light was getting more and more challenging and safety could no longer be guaranteed,” race director Peter Gerdol said, according to FIS-ski.com. “This is mainly the reason we decided to stop this race — for the safety of the athletes.

Prior to her latest injury, Vonn has previously suffered multiple torn ACLs throughout her career and even had a partial titanium knee replacement in 2024. In fact, she credits the procedure as one of the reasons for her competitive return to skiing after retiring in 2019.

“My body was so different,” the athlete told PEOPLE earlier this month. “I didn’t have any pain at all; my knee didn’t swell. I felt like I could do anything. The thought of ski racing again, something I loved to do so much, but without pain, was really exciting.”

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