Vulnerable Vonn 'in stable condition' after horrific Olympic smash

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO-Gasps, then silence filled the bar at the Hotel de la Poste. Everyone was crowded around the big screen that had been set up at one of the oldest hotels in Cortina where Ernest Hemingway had a favorite room and bar table. Then 13 seconds into her run, U.S. Skier Lindsay Vonn, the American alpine ski racer, had fallen hard.

 Doctors and the the U.S. Ski and Snowboard team confirmed she is in stable condition Monday, after two surgeries to stabilize a broken leg. This was the same leg on which she had torn her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on Jan. 30 when she crashed in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, during the final World Cup event prior to the Olympics.

 The crash happened Sunday, just after the run started she hooked her arm on the fourth gate which forced her off balance. She attempted to gain control although she had already started falling backwards. She then fell to her right and tumbled headfirst into the snow. It seemed like an eternity until the medics reached her.

 The crowd applauded softly when she was carried off the slope, then the medics transported her by helicopter off the mountain to a clinic in Cortina. The surgeries were performed at Ca’ Foncello hospital in Treviso, Italy which is a two-hour drive south of Cortina.

 The 41-year-old is an Olympic champion who participated in five Olympic games and was awarded one gold medal and a bronze in the Vancouver games in 2010, as well as one bronze in the Pyeongchang games in 2018. Vonn is the most successful ski racer on the American team and is considered one of the greatest alpine skiers of all time. If she had won a medal this Olympic event, she would have become the oldest alpine skier to do so.

 “She truly portrays the American spirit,” said Mike Gardell, an American from Arlington, Virginia, when asked about Vonn. “It makes me very sad to see such an amazing athlete work so hard to make a big comeback only to have it end in such a disastrous way. I hope she gets well soon.” When speaking about her plans moving forward, he said, ”I hope she can focus on the journey rather than the final few seconds of her career.”

 The ACL connects the thigh bone to the shin bone. Injuries to this ligament are common in sports like skiing, soccer, and basketball, usually from sudden directional changes or irregular landings. A partial tear could heal with only physical therapy, while a complete tear would usually require surgical reconstruction. Females are known to have higher risks for these types of injuries in certain sports.

 Vonn was one of the most popular athletes in the Winter Games this year. Her comeback was seen as a feel-good story in Italy. Her fans will now be there to support her during her recovery period and continue to wish her well though her skiing career may likely be over. mlp