The mood around the slopes shifted quickly at the Winter Olympics. What had started as another high-energy race day suddenly turned tense, with athletes and fans alike glued to big screens instead of finish times.
Among those watching closely was American Mikaela Shiffrin, who, like many in the skiing world, has shared years of history with Lindsey Vonn. With no official confirmation yet on the exact nature or severity of Vonn's injuries, reactions started pouring in almost immediately including from Shiffrin, the two-time gold medalist who took to Twitter to share how shaken and heartbroken she was after witnessing the incident unfold.
Credit: Michael Madrid-Imagn Images
Shiffrin took to X shortly after the crash, but instead of a long message, she simply shared a few emojis and tagged Vonn, a sign of just how shaken she appeared to be.
Vonn’s Olympic downhill run on Sunday ended almost as soon as it began. Just seconds after leaving the start, the 41-year-old lost control, crashed hard and had to be taken off the mountain by helicopter. The fall looked painful, and those watching could tell immediately that something was seriously wrong.
What makes the moment even more intense is that Vonn had only recently been cleared to compete after tearing her ACL less than two weeks earlier during a World Cup race in Switzerland. At the time, doctors warned it was a major setback, but Vonn stayed determined and publicly said she wasn’t ready to give up on her Olympic goal.
In the days leading up to the event, she shared that simply making it back to the Games after retirement, multiple injuries and even a partial knee replacement already felt like a victory. She admitted the odds were against her — age, injuries and all — but said she still wanted one last downhill run because she genuinely loves ski racing and wanted to give it everything she had.