Lindsey Vonn has undergone two surgeries on a broken leg in an Italian hospital after her audacious bid to win Olympic downhill gold with a ruptured knee ligament ended in a horrific crash after 13 seconds on Sunday.
The 41-year-old damaged her ACL when falling in a World Cup contest at Crans-Montana just over a week ago, but she had been determined to compete in Sunday's event at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre.
Just 13 seconds into her final, Vonn crashed on the piste, having clipped a gate while mid-air.
She was on the ground for around 15 minutes before being airlifted off the course, with spectators cheering her as the helicopter flew over.
International Olympic Committee sports director Pierre Ducrey has doubled down on the IOC's decision to let Vonn compete despite her injury, saying the decision should always be left up to the skiier herself.
"I think it's clear in the downhill we give athletes opportunities to train to make sure they are able to go down the slope in the way it should be for all the athletes," Ducrey said.
"That happened, she was able to train and made the choice, with the excellent team that she has, to take part, so from that point of view I don't think we should say that she should or shouldn't have participated.
"This decision was really hers and her team's to take. She made the decision and unfortunately it led to the injury."
Johan Eliasch, president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), backed the view that only Vonn herself should have decided on her participation.
"In her case, she certainly knows her injuries better than anybody else. If you look around [at] the athletes yesterday, every single athlete has a small injury of some kind.
"What is also important for people to understand is that the accident that she had yesterday, she was incredibly unlucky. It was a one in 1000."
Vonn was being treated in the Ca' Foncello Hospital in the northern city of Treviso after she was strapped into a medical stretcher and winched off the Olimpia delle Tofane piste in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
"In the afternoon, she underwent orthopedic surgery to stabilise the fracture sustained in her left leg," the hospital said in a statement.
Your Site News now understands that the skier underwent two surgeries, one to reduce swelling and aid blood flow as well as the original procedure on the fracture.
Vonn, whose battle to reach the start line despite the serious injury to her left knee dominated the opening days of the Milano Cortina Olympics, saw her unlikely quest halted in screaming agony on the snow.
Vonn had family in the stands, including her father, Alan Kildow, who stared down at the ground while his daughter was being treated.
She was surrounded by medical personnel before she was strapped to a gurney and flown away by a helicopter, possibly ending the skier's storied career.
All eyes had been on Vonn as the feelgood story heading into the Olympics. She returned to elite ski racing last season after nearly six years away from the circuit - and with a partial titanium knee replacement in her right knee too.
Her surgery in April 2024 left her feeling so good that she had decided to attempt another Olympics appearance.
She stunned everyone by being a contender almost immediately. She came to the Olympics as the leader in the World Cup downhill standings and was a gold-medal favourite before her crash in Switzerland nine days ago.
That accident on the eve of the Games left her with a tall order just to get to the start line. Vonn, though, had successfully completed two practice runs on the Cortina course on Friday and Saturday, wearing a brace on her injured knee, and her coach Aksel Lund Svindal felt she was in "good enough" condition to challenge for a medal.
However, her hopes of a fairytale comeback were dashed again with another horrific crash.
Vonn's fellow American Breezy Johnson took the title but some of her first thoughts were for her team-mate.
"My heart goes out to her. I hope it's not as bad as it looked," she said.
"I know how difficult it is to ski this course and how sometimes, because you love this course so much, when you crash on it and hurts you like that, it hurts that much worse."
Another team-mate, fourth-placed Jacqueline Wiles, spoke of Vonn's influence over the squad.
She said: "I'm still processing a lot, after what happened with Lindsey. She looks hurt quite a bit. So I'm really happy, proud of Breezy and my heart hurts for Lindsey.
"We're such a tight group. Lindsey has really been a huge mentor for all of us.
"It doesn't change anything about her legacy. She's a fighter and that's the way that she's going to go out and ski every time."
International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) president Johan Eliasch described Vonn's fall as "tragic".
He said: "I can only say thank you for what she has done for our sport, because this race has been the talk of the Games and it's put our sport in the best possible light.
"I hope she will have a speedy recovery and be back on skis very soon."
When asked whether some felt Vonn should not have been allowed to race with her injury, he added: "Well then they don't know Lindsey. That's all I can say."
Isabella Wright was the fourth member of the American team and she felt Vonn "deserved a better ending than that".
She said: "It was really heartbreaking. Jackie [Wiles] and myself were up top, so we saw it live. You don't want that for anyone and you especially don't want it for your team-mate and for Lindsey.
"I always say this, 'if anyone can do it, it's Lindsey'. Whatever it is, or whatever the situation, she's very strong. We're going to support her the best we can."
Vonn's sister, Karin Kildow, said she had put her "whole heart" into racing at the Olympics, especially as it was being staged on a course she loves so much.
"That's definitely the last thing we wanted to see," she told NBC. "When that happens, you're just immediately hoping she's okay, and it was scary.
"She dared greatly, and she put it all out there."
