Lindsey Vonn, one of the greatest skiers of all time, male or female, suffered what looked to be a heart-breaking crash at a super-G race in Andorra today, causing a hairline fracture in her left knee. Vonn, who is in pursuit of her 5th overall World Cup title was holding a slim lead in the title chase over Switzerland’s Laura Gut. The Overall title is based off her results in every skiing discipline including slalom, giant slalom, downhill and super-G.
“Got caught in the soft snow today and crashed pretty hard,” Vonn said on her Instagram account. “X-rays showed I have a hairline fracture and will get an MRI Monday. I will wait and see how I feel tomorrow to decide if I can race.” So there is a chance Vonn could power through the injury, although at what capacity remains to be seen.
Vonn was in the middle of her run, in an event that had been delayed in Andorra some three hours due to weather, when she lost control during a turn. Her skis dug hard into the snow as she skidded out. According to reports, she lay motionless on the snow as medical personnel got to her. She was then evacuated via a ski patrol rescue sled.
Von has a history of knee injuries during the course of her career, one that has seen her win 16 titles in individual disciplines, like downhill, more than any other athlete, as well as an Olympic gold medal in 2010.
If the wreck, ends her season, it would be extremely disappointing for the alpine racer who bases in Vail, Colo., as she has just recently returned to form after recovering from injury. She had to be airlifted to a hospital after a serious crash in Austria in 2013 in which she suffered a torn ACL.
Vonn recently appeared in Sports Illustrated in full body paint.
Updated at 11:31 am PST.
