Lindsey Vonn’s Winter Olympics campaign lasted just 13 seconds. The skiing icon arrived at the event with a completely torn ACL and still chose to push through, throwing caution to the wind. At 41, she was attempting what many believed was impossible, competing at the highest level on a ruptured ligament in what she had hoped would be her final Olympic run. But her courage met with a horrible crash that left fans devastated and outraged with how the broadcasters handled the moment.

On February 8, Lindsey Vonn charged out of the gate as the 13th skier in the Olympic downhill final at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Her run looked powerful at first, but around the third turn, her right arm and pole snagged a gate mid-air, jerking her off balance before she went flying backward in a brutal crash that sent gasps through the crowd.

Spectators knew instantly it looked bad. However, additional panic rippled across the stands and onto social media as viewers took to X, furious that the cameras stayed fixed on the fallen legend.

Lindsey Vonn lay helpless on the snow as rescue crews rushed in and a stretcher was brought onto the course. She then received medical attention and was airlifted by helicopter to a nearby hospital, a standard emergency procedure in alpine racing but one that underscored the severity of the fall, causing the race to pause for several minutes. Meanwhile, Vonn let out a few wails, all of which were picked up clearly on the live broadcast.

This caused a user to write, “Horrible to see Lindsey Vonn down and shouting in pain. No more tv pictures of this please #WinterOlympics,” earning a quick response from another fan: “Yeah, can we not see this please. It’s so disrespectful to her 😡”

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Linsey Vonn’s Olympic final crash was so devastating that she was heard saying, “I can’t feel.”

In downhill skiing, competitors reach speeds between 75 and 90 mph, with little protection beyond helmets and body suits. Crashing at that pace is violent under any circumstances, but especially for Vonn, who had torn the ACL in her left knee just nine days earlier during a World Cup training run in Switzerland. She had trained and practiced on the ruptured ligament, wearing a heavy brace while relying on months of rehabilitation to even make the start gate.

Even Vonn’s sister, Karin Kildow, who witnessed the moment, was worried about Vonn’s condition post the crash, “It’s not a good sign. But when that happens, you’re just like immediately hoping she’s okay, and it was scary because when you start to see the stretchers being put out, it’s not a good sign.”

But as for the fans, their optimism faded fast, leaving fans heartbroken and many furious over how the painful moment was broadcast live for the world to see.

Fans express disbelief over Lindsey Vonn’s crash broadcast

Fans weren’t just reacting to the fall itself but to how long the global feed lingered on it. Slow-motion replays showed Vonn spinning off balance before slamming into the snow, turning a medical emergency into a repeated visual spectacle. Viewers questioned why the broadcast continued to air her screams as medics worked beside her.

One viewer wrote, “Are the @BBCSport actually having a go at Lindsey Vonn while she’s lying on the mountain and screaming in pain? Disgraceful!”

When the replay of the moment played on the big screen, Breeze Johnson, a rival skier, covered her face with her hands, knowing the intensity of the moment. Even the spectators in the stand gasped at the sight of Vonn’s crash.

Eighteen minutes later, a helicopter lifted off toward Cortina, carrying the injured skier away. As it rose into the sky, the American announcer called out, “Let’s let Lindsey Vonn hear us!” The crowd below responded with a warm wave of applause for the injured legend.

For viewers at home, it was an unbearable sight, “Got up to watch Lindsey Vonn’s downhill and oh my god I don’t think I can go back to sleep after this. Hearing her scream out in pain after her fall was so terrible #WinterOlympics”

“Can TNT please stop showing the Lindsey Vonn crash. Looks like an awful fall. She is in a lot of pain. Hasn’t moved since her early crash in the downhill. Less than a fortnight ago, she was airlifted off the slopes having ruptured her left ACL. No sign of a snowmobile or helicopter,” another wrote.

The backlash also came amid growing frustration with Olympic broadcasts overall, with viewers already criticizing excessive replays, heavy commercial breaks, and on-air commentary mishaps earlier in the Games. For many, Vonn’s crash became the breaking point.

It wasn’t the ending anyone wished for, but Lindsey Vonn’s resilience still defined the moment. Her career has always walked the line between brilliance and bruises. After retiring in 2019, she returned in 2024 with a titanium implant in her right knee, defying medical expectations yet again. Four overall World Cup titles, three Olympic medals, and more than 80 career wins had already secured her legacy, but this comeback was about proving she could still race on her own terms.

In fact, just 9 days before the Milan Winter Games, she crashed and tore the ACL in her other knee. Some doctors warned that this might not be an ideal condition for her to compete. Yet, Lindsey Vonn assured, “I’m not giving up 💪working as hard as I can to make it happen.”

Yet in just the first of her three Olympic races, no one expected Lindsey Vonn to crash so brutally. One distraught fan wrote, “OMG, Lindsey Vonn just crashed 🙏 This is so hard to watch 😢#MilanOlympics.” A tough pill to swallow. But fans cling to hope, waiting for an update.

Reports suggest this crash wasn’t tied to Vonn’s injured left knee. About 13 seconds into her February 8 run, her right arm snagged the fourth gate, spinning her off-balance before she could react.

“Things just happen so quick in this sport,” said U.S. teammate Bella Wright after the race. “It looked like Lindsey had incredible speed out of that turn, and she hooked her arm and it’s just over just like that.”

For now, fans wait anxiously for an official statement from the skier herself.