Just seven days before the Winter Olympics, Lindsey Vonn faced a frightening moment during her Crans-Montana race. The 41-year-old crashed hard and left the course with a knee injury. Concerns about her fitness have grown ever since, but at the same time, ample support has poured in from stars like Simone Biles, Coco Gauff, and Allyson Felix. And now even from a U.S. Representative.

Betty Louise McCollum, U.S. Representative for Minnesota’s 4th district reacted to a CBS News post on X that reported Vonn’s crash. Raised in Burnsville, Vonn started skiing on the slopes of Buck Hill. No wonder, a representative from Minnesota reacted to the hometown star’s injury.

Louise McCollon wrote, “I’m wishing Lindsey Vonn a full and speedy recovery from the unfortunate crash that took place earlier today. It’s been a joy for me and all Minnesotans to watch her compete throughout her Olympic career, and I hope to see her recover in time to compete in Italy next week.”

Coming from her, the support felt particularly meaningful given how serious the crash was.

Overcast skies, low visibility, and overnight freezing temperatures made the Mont Lachaux track considerably faster and difficult for racers. Even skiers like Nina Ortlieb of Austria and Marte Monsen of Norway struggled with crashes early in the race, after which, the even was called off. But Vonn’s crash particularly was brutal by all means.

Lindsey Vonn, starting as the sixth skier, had posted a fast early split. But seconds after landing a jump, she lost control. She lifted her left arm and ski pole, trying to regain balance, but slid into the safety net after a couple spins.

Vonn stayed down for several minutes as medical staff attended to her. She was then airlifted by helicopter to a hospital for further evaluation. Just hours after the crash, Vonn posted on social media, “I “This is a very difficult outcome one week before the Olympics… but if there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s a comeback. My Olympic dream is not over.”

For someone aiming for her fifth Olympics at 41, the crash was a major setback but it drew great support from fellow athletes.

Top athletes send encouragement to Lindsey Vonn

Simone Biles sent a message of support to Lindsey Vonn, writing “Sending love babes” to Vonn on social media.  Also, Mikaela Shiffrin, one of the top U.S. alpine skiers and a close peer of Vonn in the sport, wrote, “If anyone can do this, it’s you.” Even tennis star Coco Gauff wished Vonn well, commenting simply, “Get well soon.”

With so much encouragement, could Lindsey Vonn silence the skeptics who doubted her comeback? Well, when Lindsey Vonn came out of retirement in 2024, her decision was met with skepticism too. Swiss former skier Bruno Kernen had commented, “I don’t see her on the podium in the World Cup..”

However, Vonn responded to the skeptics, saying, “I know people think that I’m insane, but I am actually kind of smart. I talked to [extreme skier] Chris Davenport, who also had a partial knee replacement, and he skis like 150 days a year. … So that gave me a lot of confidence.”

Her confidence paid off. During the 2025-26 season, she returned to winning form: won a World Cup downhill race in St. Moritz, added another World Cup downhill win in Zauchensee, and finished second in a Super‑G at the World Cup finals.

If Lindsey Vonn successfully competes in her fifth Winter Olympics at 41, she will officially become the oldest woman to race in an Olympic Alpine skiing event. We’ll find that out in a few weeks from now!