The entire sports world continues sending all positive thoughts and prayers to Lindsey Vonn following her crash during the women’s downhill at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday.
The latest to lift Vonn up is International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry.
‘Dear Lindsey, we’re all thinking of you. You are an incredible inspiration, and will always be an Olympic champion,’ Coventry said in a message shared by the IOC Media account on X (formerly Twitter).
Coventry was elected in March 2025 to succeed Thomas Bach as the IOC president and is the first woman to serve in the role. The former Auburn swimmer won seven Olympic medals while representing Zimbabwe at five Olympic Games in her career, which includes two gold medals.
Sunday’s crash in the women’s downhill medal event is the second in the last few weeks for the U.S. skier, who is considered one of the great American (and world) skiers of all time. Her first crash came in her final race before the 2026 Winter Olympics, where she sustained a ruptured ACL in her left knee.
Her crash on Sunday was not due to her previous injury, though. It instead came 13 seconds into her downhill after Vonn’s right arm hooked the fourth gate, spun her off balance, and sent her crashing into the snow headfirst. As previously reported by USA TODAY, Vonn remained down in the snow and could be heard wailing in pain following her crash. She’d remain on the course for approximately 13 minutes before being loaded into a helicopter.
The US Ski & Snowboard Team issued an update on Vonn at 11:05 a.m. ET on Sunday, saying that the three-time Olympic medalist ‘sustained an injury’ and ‘is in stable condition and in good hands with a team of American and Italian physicians.’
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