Aksel Lund Svindal was concerned before the crash. (Image: Getty Images)
Lindsey Vonn’s coach voiced worries that the American Olympic legend was putting more strain on her right knee as she competed with a torn ACL before her disastrous crash. Vonn, the 2010 Olympic downhill champion, was poised to be one of the highlights of the Milan Cortina Games. After making her comeback and suffering an ACL tear in a World Cup race the previous week, she still chose to compete.
However, the courageous American’s Olympic journey ended in disaster. Just 13 seconds into her run, Vonn hit a gate and crashed out, resulting in a broken leg that will necessitate multiple surgeries. Racing with the injury, Vonn had was always going to be risky. However, Het Nieuwsblad claimed that Norwegian ski legend and two-time Olympic gold medallist Aksel Lund Svindal, who had been Vonn’s coach since 2025, said after a training session last week that she was leaning more on her right knee during landings in order to ease the strain on her injured other knee.
Regrettably for Vonn, her coach was proven correct. She sped over a hill before hitting one of the plastic markers lining the course, leading to her crash.
Wouter Van den Broecke, medical supervisor for the International Ski Federation (FIS) at the Winter Games, wrote in the Belgian newspaper: « I spoke with the Italian team doctor. The descent on Sunday was very challenging, he told me, bordering on too difficult, especially because the snow conditions weren’t great.
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« We don’t have any clarity about her exact injury (prior to the crash). But if it is indeed a ‘classic’ complete cruciate ligament tear, she must have always had additional injuries: the sudden impact causes microfractures, often on the outside of the knee. This causes the bone marrow to swell, a condition called bone edema. »
« You can’t numb that. She may be fit and strong, and strapped in a brace, but you can’t stop the shock. You could clearly see that Vonn couldn’t handle the pressure and « flew away » as a result. »
Vonn’s right leg appeared to strike the ground first as a cloud of powder consumed her tumbling body. She continued to tumble down the slope, seemingly crashing her shoulder into the snow before stopping with her screams piercing the air.
Aksel Lund Svindal coaching Linsey Vonn. (Image: Getty Images)
Van den Broecke added: « This crash was an accident waiting to happen. On the one hand, there’s the world star, a fantastic woman who, at 41, is trying to return to the Olympics after countless sacrifices. On the other hand, this is a particularly bad example for young people when it comes to health and safety. »
Vonn’s team-mate, Breezy Johnson, ultimately clinched the downhill race, bagging gold for Team USA ahead of Germany’s Emma Aicher.
Svindal took to social media on Monday afternoon to post: « Lindsey. You are incredibly brave. You inspire the people who follow your journey and us who work closely with you every day. Yesterday was a tough day on the mountain. For everyone, but especially for you.
« Nevertheless, something happened that I think says it all. ‘Congratulate Breezy and tell her she did a great job.’ Your teammate was in the lead, and that was the message you wanted to convey to the US ski team coaches before being flown to the hospital. True character is revealed in difficult moments. »
This article first appeared on Mirror US.
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