Lindsey Vonn’s preparations for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics have been thrown into uncertainty. Concerns are mounting after a frightening crash during the women’s downhill at Crans-Montana derailed Vonn. The race was abandoned after just six starters, following multiple early incidents that raised immediate safety concerns on the Mont Lachaux course.

Vonn, wearing the discipline leader’s red bib, went down early after an awkward landing in the compression, crashing only seconds after she started her run. The 41-year-old American star slammed into the safety nets and remained down for several minutes, as the cameras caught her visibly in pain.  However, she soon managed to get back on her skis. 

As she started to ski her way down slowly, it was clear something was wrong. Vonn was heavily favoring her left knee. It was visible that Vonn was struggling to put weight on her left leg, at times lifting the ski entirely off the snow. The incident has raised serious doubts over her fitness for the looming Winter Olympics, even more so because of her long history of knee injuries.

Before Vonn, two other athletes, too, crashed down the course. Out of six athletes who took the course, three faced the unfortunate fall. Nina Ortieb from Austria and Norwegian Marte Monsen ended up in the nets after the crash. Although Vonn tried to fight against the setback and tried to get up, a recent heartbreaking update revealed that Vonn was being airlifted to the hospital after her crash. Following the back-to-back crashes, the authority decided to call off the competition.

Vonn, who decided to step back from the skiing realm, retired in 2019 after bagging 3 Olympic medals and 82 World Cup victories. However, she soon made her comeback to the ice rink in late 2024. 

Reflecting on her decision to retire, she said, “I retired because my body couldn’t take it anymore, not because I personally wanted to end my career”. After undergoing a successful knee surgery, she added, “It changed my life forever. I was in so much pain before, and it affected almost everything I did. Now I can do whatever I set my mind to.”

As she has been gearing up to appear for her fifth Olympics game at the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026, she has recently opened up about what has been her ‘mantra’ and motivation as she aims for her fourth Olympic medal.

Lindsey Vonn finds strength in mother’s words while eying for the Olympic return

Making a comeback to the sport after a long gap of five years and a major knee surgery, it wasn’t easy for 40-year-old Vonn to keep her mark on the ice yet again with her talent. Recently, she opened up about how her mother has always motivated her and how she has turned to her words as her mantra for the 2026 Winter Olympics. 

In an Instagram reel shared by Team USA, Vonn shared, “My mantra for the Olympics is ‘Today is another great day’”. She further added, “When my mom was sick, she would wake up every day and say ‘Today is another great day,’ and I think it’s just an important reminder to believe in myself. Life is short, always give your best.”

Lindsey Vonn lost her dearest mother, Linda Krohn, to ALS in August 2022. Vonn first competed back in 2002, and it would be 24 years this year since she became an Olympian for the first time. Now, as she already boasts a record of wins that is the highest any skier has ever achieved, she has shared how she is going for the 2026 games just because she has faith in herself that she still has the caliber to perform well and not to prove anything to anyone.

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Although many have been speculating regarding how her age keeps her at a disadvantageous position against a young field, Vonn has approached the chapter with a rather optimistic lens.

Vonn stated, “I think my age is a big advantage, actually. I have been in that starting gate more than anyone else that’s in the starting gate.”

Now, after the heartbreaking crash in the Mont Lachaux course, her future for the 2026 games, which is scheduled to kick off in less than a week, indeed remains uncertain. But if Vonn successfully manages to participate in her fifth Olympics game, at 41, Vonn will officially become the oldest woman to compete in an Olympic Alpine skiing event. Alongside that, Cortina d’Ampezzo, the site of the 2026 downhill, has remained her most successful venue, where she holds a record 12 World Cup victories. Thus, only time can tell what the future holds for the skiing legend.