Alas, Lindsey Vonn’s downhill final has ended in shock and fear just seconds after it began.

Only days before the Winter Olympics, Vonn had suffered a serious knee injury. She ‘completely’ tore the ACL in her left knee and also had bone bruising and damage to the meniscus. But Vonn did not walk away at all. At 41, she chose to race at the Winter Olympics despite the injury. Little did she know…more trouble awaited her in the Olympics downhill final.

Did Lindsey Vonn crash in the Olympic Downhill final?

On February 8, the conditions at the Tofane course were ideal for the downhill final. Vonn was the 13th skier to start the 1.6 mile course with more than twenty competitors lined up behind her. Unfortunately, things went wrong almost immediately…

The opening section was rough with heavy vibration. And just 13 seconds after the start, Lindsey Vonn caught a gate, lost her balance on a small jump, went backward, and crashed hard onto the snow.

The 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn lay still, unable to move after the horrid crash. And it surely looked bad to the spectators watching.

The crowd in Cortina fell silent as officials rushed toward her. Moments later, Vonn screamed in pain on the course.

“I can’t feel,” she shouted, as fans on the live broadcast heard her crying in pain too.

Medical staff stopped the race and attended to Lindsey Vonn as she lay on the slope. She was later airlifted for further medical treatment, and the race was paused.

Spectators in the crowd, including Team USA’s honorary coach Snoop Dogg who had come wearing a custom attire with Lindsey Vonn’s images on it, were bummed.

Did Lindsey Vonn finish the race after the crash?

Unfortunately, Lindsey Vonn did not finish the Olympic downhill race after the crash. Though the race was stopped for nearly 20 minutes as medical teams rushed to help her get off the slope. When the race finally resumed Austria’s Mirjam Puchner was the next skier to head down the course.

How did the crash end Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic Downhill comeback dream?

A day before the Olympic downhill final, Lindsey Vonn had posted on Instagram, “I will race tomorrow in my final Olympic Downhill and while I can’t guarantee a good result, I can guarantee I will give it everything I have.”

Before the Games, Lindsey Vonn had spoken honestly about what this season meant to her. After five years away from competition and following a partial knee replacement, she returned knowing this would likely be her final time racing at the highest level.

“I am honored to be able to represent my country one more time, in my 5th and final Olympics!” she had said.

After all, Cortina remains an incredibly special venue for her. Cortina has been the site of Vonn’s maiden Wold Cup podium, the one she achieved in January 2004. Thus returning here for the Olympic final was nothing less than a dream for her.

“When I made the decision to return to ski racing, I always had one eye on Cortina because it’s a place that is very, very special to me.”

For many fans, this was more than just another race. It was a last chance to see Lindsey Vonn at the Olympics.

Instead of a fairytale ending, the comeback ended in a painful crash. However, while her condition is still being evaluated, she likely leaves the sport with three Olympic medals and remains the only American woman in Winter Olympics history to win gold in downhill.