The athlete suffered a brutal injury just seconds into her race on Feb. 8

Lindsey Vonn came out of retirement to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics, but her triumphant return to the slopes was heartbreakingly brief.

On Feb. 8, the three-time Olympic medalist suffered an injury when she crashed during her run in the women’s downhill final at the Milan Cortina games. Vonn’s connection to Cortina is a personal one, and the location of this year’s Olympic Games inspired her decision to compete again.

“Honestly, I don’t know if I would have done this if it wasn’t at Cortina,” she told PEOPLE in January 2026. “It’s where I got my first podium [placing third at the 2004 World Cup]. I also broke the women’s World Cup record there.”

Vonn added that race was “one of the few” that both of her parents attended. “So it’s a very special place for me,” she said.

After previously retiring from the sport in 2019, Vonn made history as the oldest woman to compete in Alpine racing at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

“I built an amazing life and was really happy in retirement,” she revealed to PEOPLE. “But I didn’t finish my career the way I wanted to. I was limping away when I wanted to finish strong.”

However, after a brutal crash on the slopes, her Olympic return didn’t go as planned.

Here’s what happened to Lindsey Vonn at the 2026 Winter Olympics, and if she will be hitting the slopes again at the games.

What happened to Lindsey Vonn at the Olympics?

Lindsey Vonn of Team United States crashes during the Women's Downhill on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre

Lindsey Vonn of Team United States crashes during the Women’s Downhill.
IOC via Getty
Vonn was injured on Feb. 8, while competing in the women’s downhill final at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The incident occurred just seconds in, after she passed a marker during her run. According to CBS News, it appeared she clipped a flag on the side of the course, which sent her flipping and spinning in the air before landing and hitting her head on the ground.

“That definitely was the last thing we wanted to see,” Vonn’s sister Karin Kildow said on NBC’s broadcast shortly after. “It happened quick. So when that happens you’re just immediately hoping she’s okay. It was scary because when you start to see the stretchers being put out, that is not a good sign.”

How severe was her injury?

Lindsey Vonn is transported by helicopter after crashing in the women's downhill event during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d'Ampezzo

Vonn broke her leg at the 2026 Winter Olympics, according to the Associated Press.

She remained on the slopes for minutes after crashing during the women’s downhill final. As the medical team attended to her, Vonn could be heard yelling, “Oh my God,” in pain.

She was strapped to a stability board and airlifted by helicopter to the hospital.

Did her previous injury play a role in her crash at the Olympics?

Lindsey Vonn of Team United States inspects the course prior to the Women's Downhill training on day zero of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

Vonn’s winter sports career includes countless injuries, with the Feb. 8 incident being the latest.

When Vonn came out of retirement to ski at the 2026 Winter Olympics, she was doing so after undergoing a partial titanium knee replacement in 2024, which inspired her to consider racing again.

“My body was so different,” she told PEOPLE. “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.”

On Jan. 30, just nine days before her crash at the Olympics, Vonn “completely ruptured” her ACL in a World Cup race in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, but she still vowed to compete in the Milan Cortina games.

“It was painful initially after the crash,” Vonn said during a Feb. 3 press conference. “I had a feeling it was bad, but I held out hope until I saw the MRI in front of me. But I have not cried, I have not deviated from my plan.”

As for medaling at the Olympics following her ACL injury, Vonn said, “I think this would be the best comeback I’ve done so far. The most dramatic, that’s for sure.”

What is Lindsey Vonn’s condition since her crash?

Lindsey Vonn of Team United States skis during the Women's Downhill training on day zero of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

Lindsey Vonn of Team United States skis during the Women’s Downhill training.
Mattia Ozbot/Getty
Vonn is in stable condition, per the U.S. Ski Team, according to the AP.

In a statement, the Ca’ Foncello hospital announced she “underwent an orthopedic operation to stabilize a fracture reported in her left leg.”