Lindsey Vonn crash: American skiing icon airlifted away after terrifying fall in Olympics women's downhill [View all]

Source: CBS News

Lindsey Vonn crash: American skiing icon airlifted away after terrifying fall in Olympics women's downhill

By Matt Norlander
48 mins ago * 2 min read

The worst-case scenario for Olympian Lindsey Vonn came just seconds into the women's downhill final in Cortina, Italy, on Sunday afternoon.

Vonn's body struck a gate as she made her first big jump less than 13 seconds into her run, altering her momentum and direction, prompting a scary crash as she flung sideways and bombed out.

The race was on hold for more than 20 minutes as Vonn was tended to on the course. The scene at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre was eerily quiet, as thousands at the bottom of the mountain, including Vonn's family, were left stunned and largely speechless. The worldwide feed initially caught audio of Vonn's brutal cries from pain after her horrifying spill. Downhill skiing is the fastest and most dangerous alpine event; the Olympia delle Tofane course routinely saw Sunday's racers eclipse 75 miles per hour as they hurled themselves down one the world-renowned venue.

Vonn was put on a stretcher and had to be airlifted by helicopter to a nearby hospital.

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Read more: https://www.cbssports.com/olympics/news/lindsey-vonn-crash-american-skiing-icon-airlifted-away-after-terrifying-fall-in-olympics-womens-downhill/

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Hat tip, CBS Radio News at 8:00 a.m. on WTOP

I suspect there's a tacit rule in effect at DU that Olympic results not be posted before NBC has had a chance to package them for consumption in the US, but I believe this transcends any such rule.