- - Can Lindsey Vonn Still Compete in the 2026 Olympics? What We Know After Her Crash

Jordana ComiterJanuary 31, 2026 at 1:05 AM

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Lindsey Vonn from the USA with all the medals she has won in her career ; Lindsey Vonn from the United States after crashing during the women's alpine skiing downhill in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty ; Thibault de Rivaz/Shutterstock

Lindsey Vonn suffered an injury in a crash during her final race before the 2026 Winter Olympics

In a statement shortly after, the alpine ski racer wrote that she was being evaluated but her "Olympic dream is not over"

The champion was set to make Winter Olympics history as the oldest woman to ever compete in Alpine racing

Lindsey Vonn's fate in the 2026 Winter Olympics is up in the air after the alpine ski racing star’s latest injury.

During the athlete's final race before the 2026 Winter Olympics on Jan. 30, she was airlifted to the hospital after crashing in her final downhill competition in Switzerland — just one week before the games are set to begin.

Vonn was set to return to the Milano Cortina Olympics after six years of retirement, telling PEOPLE in January 2026 that she was ready to make her comeback now that her body had finally recovered from the multiple injuries she's sustained in recent years — and after she received a partial titanium knee replacement in 2024.

"My body was so different," she said. “I didn’t have any pain at all; my knee didn’t swell. I felt like I could do anything. The thought of ski racing again, something I loved to do so much, but without pain, was really exciting."

A few hours after her crash, the athlete wrote in a statement on Instagram that her "Olympic dream is not over."

"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," Vonn wrote.

So, can Lindsey Vonn still compete in the Winter Olympics? Here's what we know after her crash.

Vonn is being "evaluated" after getting injured during the final race before the Winter Olympics

Lindsey Vonn from the United States after crashing during the women's alpine skiing downhill in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Jan. 30, 2026.

Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty

On Jan. 30, Vonn was airlifted to the hospital after crashing in her final race before the Winter Olympics. Just after Vonn's crash, the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team shared a statement on X, writing, "Lindsey Vonn fell in the Crans Montana downhill and is being evaluated."

According to USA Today, she lost control as she came out of a jump in the second section of the course in Crans Montana, Switzerland. The athlete then tried to regain her balance, but fell while going at a high speed which led to her spinning out across the snow before crashing into the safety net.

She remained down for several moments and was then attended to by medical staff before skiing down to the bottom of the course. Per several outlets, onlookers noted that she appeared to be clutching her left knee and was limping.

Vonn's crash came just one week before she was set to make Winter Olympics history as the oldest woman to ever compete in Alpine racing.

Vonn shared in a statement that she is undergoing exams ahead of the Olympics

Lindsey Vonn during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women's Downhill Training on Jan. 28, 2026, in Crans Montana, Switzerland.

Millo Moravski/Agence Zoom/Getty

Vonn's injury came one week before the Olympics opening ceremony, which is set to take place on Feb. 6, with the women's downhill scheduled just two days later, leaving her status to compete unclear.

A few hours after her crash, she shared a statement on Instagram and addressed her fate in the competition: "I crashed today in the Downhill race in Switzerland and injured my left knee. I am discussing the situation with my doctors and team and will continue to undergo further exams," she wrote.

Vonn went on to thank the medical staff who helped her, and also sent her best to Norway's Marte Monsen, a fellow alpine skier who also was injured in a crash that day.

The Milan Cortina Olympics were set to be especially meaningful for Vonn, who previously told PEOPLE the special reasoning she wanted to make her comeback there.

"Honestly, I don’t know if I would have done this if it wasn’t at Cortina," she said. "It’s where I got my first podium [placing third at the 2004 World Cup]. I also broke the women’s World Cup record there."

It is also where her dad Alan and late mom Lindy — who divorced when she was young — watched her get her first podium in 2004.

"It’s one of the few races in my whole career that both of my parents were at," she said. "So it’s a very special place for me."

Vonn previously suffered multiple torn ACLs and injuries

Skier Lindsey Vonn raises her crutches during The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection show on Feb. 6, 2014, in New York.

STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty

Vonn has suffered multiple torn ACLs and injuries in her career — and this isn't the first time she has crashed in the snow during a high-stakes event.

The pro skier was airlifted out of the 2013 Alpine World Championships after suffering a crash in the slopes, and then had to pull out of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics due to a major knee injury.

In February 2016, she had to be carried off the slopes on a sled after crashing during the Soldeu Audi FIS Ski World Cup super-G race in Soldeu-el Tarter, Andorra.

Following the crash, she shared a photo with her puppy and bandaged knee on Instagram, updating her fans that she had a "hairline fracture" in her left knee and would have to wait to see if she could continue to race.

In 2018, she tore her lateral collateral ligament (LCL) in her right leg, and put off surgery until April 2019 in order to finish out the professional season.

She had a partial titanium knee replacement in 2024, following years of suffering from knee issues.

"I was in so much pain," she told PEOPLE in February 2025 of her longtime knee issues. "It was so bad I could barely ski with my friends, let alone try a downhill course."

The ski star added, "The partial knee replacement changed my life. Not only did it take my pain away, but it allowed me to go back to what I love to do, which is skiing."

She had to “wise up” after her first injury

Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn poses for a photo during a Team USA Photo Shoot on May 21, 2025, in Sun Valley, Calif.

Harry How/Getty

In a February 2025 conversation with Sports Illustrated, Vonn reflected on her many injuries over the years, addressing how they held her "back."

"I was in so much pain the last few years of my career, that it was time," she said of retiring. "I was at peace with being finished. I didn’t have any regrets about it. But, of course, I missed going fast."

Vonn went on to say that she had to "wise up and figure out what my body can and can't do."

"I have to understand my anatomy better than anyone else, and that’s been the case since my first ACL tear," she continued.

Her comeback was because alpine skiing brings her “joy”

Lindsey Vonn cries on the podium as she celebrates after competing in the women's downhill race during the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2025-2026 on Dec. 12, 2025, in St Moritz, Switzerland.

Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty

As Vonn prepared to come out of retirement and compete in the Olympics, she wrote in a December 2025 Facebook post that her comeback was not for the people who told her she is "too old" and "will never be as fast as I was."

"I did it for myself…because it brings me joy and I feel I still have something left to give to the sport that has given me so much," she wrote. "But I have to thank all the haters for giving me extra motivation to keep pushing myself and fueling me when I was low. It feels good to know that after everything I have been through, I can still reach for the stars and grab them. Even at 41 years old."

During her January 2026 conversation with PEOPLE, she also opened up about not loving the way she was forced to call it quits due to her injuries.

"I built an amazing life and was really happy in retirement," she said. "But I didn’t finish my career the way I wanted to. I was limping away when I wanted to finish strong."

on People

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Source: “AOL Sports”