Anticipation took on a very different meaning today. Fans at the Cortina d’Ampezzo course had come down to see the Olympic downhill final, anticipating Lindsey Vonn’s gold medal moment. But after her brutal crash, which saw her writhing in pain and being airlifted, that anticipation turned into anxiously awaiting an injury update. Now the uncertainty is finally over, and for many fans, their prayers have been answered.

Hours after Lindsey Vonn’s crash, reporter Ben Steiner confirmed that U.S. Ski and Snowboard have provided a positive update on Vonn’s condition after her crash on the downhill slope.

“Update: Lindsey Vonn sustained an injury, but is in stable condition and in good hands with a team of American and Italian physicians,” read the post.

41-year-old Vonn lay motionless on the snow after her right ski pole clipped into a gate causing her to lose her balance and crash land. Vonn’s high speed down the hill made the intensity worse, as screams of pain were heard on the broadcast. Eventually, she had to be airlifted and now an update tells us, she was rushed into an emergency surgery.

Per reporter Ben Steiner on X, Lindsey Vonn was taken to a hospital in Cortina before being transferred to Treviso’s Ca’Foncello hospital.

Vonn was then “treated by a multidisciplinary team,” and “underwent an orthopedic operation to stabilize a fracture reported in her left leg,” per the update.

Anouk Patty, chief of sport for U.S. Ski and Snowboard further said, “She’ll [Vonn] be OK, but it’s going to be a bit of a process. This sport’s brutal and people need to remember when they’re watching (that) these athletes are throwing themselves down a mountain and going really, really fast.”

Notably, Lindsey Vonn’s left leg (the one that ended up being impacted) was already a cause of concern for doctors and fans alike as she entered the Milan Olympics. Just 9 days ago, she had suffered a crash during a World  Cup race in Crans-Montana and had her left knee ACL ‘completely ruptured.’

Despite a “100%” gone ACL that usually takes six to ten months to heal, Vonn entered the games and proved her mettle in the first two Olympic training runs on Friday and Saturday. With a brace in place, she kept weight training, even as several sports medicine experts voiced concerns that she might be risking further damage to her knee.

One such scare emerged on Saturday when her teammate notified that they saw Vonn’s knee briefly cave in during the practice run. But that scare was definitely less than what people experienced today after the crash.

Especially since Vonn’s injury history adds to the gravity of the situation. Her right leg had a total knee replacement done, fitting a titanium knee in 2024. However, she has real good wishes coming her way from various people worldwide.

Prayers have been pouring in for Lindsey Vonn

Breezy Johnson, the skier who took gold in the women’s downhill final, mentioned that she didn’t have much information regarding Vonn’s condition. However, she did not forget to send her best wishes in the meantime.

“I don’t have anything except that her coach said that she was cheering for me in the helicopter. I hope that it’s not too bad. My heart aches for her. It’s such a brutal sport sometimes,” Johnson said.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry shared a heartwarming message for Vonn that read, “Dear Lindsey, we’re all thinking about you. You are an incredible inspiration, and will always be an Olympic champion.”

The 41-year-old was aiming for a glorious comeback in her fifth Olympic appearance. However, things didn’t go in her plan, and fate turned out to be brutal for her. And apart from the fans and the athletes, her family was quite concerned too.

Apart from Mikaela Shiffrin who also reacted on Lindsey Vonn’s crash, Vonn’s sister, Karin Kildow had a brief talk with the reporters where she sent her best wishes to her sister.

“But she really, we were just saying like the man in the arena like she just dared greatly and she put it all out there. So it’s really hard to see, but we just really hope she’s okay. So I don’t really know exactly what happened, but you know, I did it did look like a pretty rough fall. So we’re just hoping for the best.”

The incident at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics leaves many questions in mind, especially: What’s next for Lindsey Vonn? But for now, there are positive updates regarding her condition, a ray of hope for fans while they await an official message from the injured legend.