A hush fell over the Olympic downhill course on Sunday after Lindsey Vonn crashed seconds into her run. The 41-year-old American, racing on a torn ACL, lost control after cutting her line too tight on the opening traverse and was spun into the air. She screamed after the fall and remained on the snow for several minutes while receiving medical attention before being strapped to a gurney and flown off the course by helicopter. The race was paused as Vonn was treated. The crash stunned fans and fellow athletes, especially given Vonn’s comeback ahead of the 2026 Milan Cortina Games. After nearly six years away from elite racing and multiple knee surgeries, she returned last season and quickly became a contender again, even entering the Olympics as a gold-medal favorite despite a recent injury. As she was taken off the mountain and cameras showed her family in the stands, reactions poured in across social media. See what people had to say on X: Simply shocking.I open the TV:Helicopter.Lindsey Vonn 🇺🇸So, so sorry.Milano Cortina Olympics pic.twitter.com/8kGGbhA36a— Kaarina Jaakkola 🇪🇺 🇫🇮 🇺🇦 🇩🇰 🇬🇱 (@JaakkolaKaarina) February 8, 2026 Horrible watching that horrendous Lindsey Vonn crash, and worse hearing her screaming afterwards. Really, really hope it’s better than it seems. She’s a living legend.— Pablo (@pabloscouse) February 8, 2026 Rapper Snoop Dogg wears a blank expression, moments after watching Team USA's Lindsey Vonn crash out of the women’s downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo this morning. pic.twitter.com/0PdbvodEO4— Abhijit Pathak (@aajtakabhijit) February 8, 2026 American skier Lindsay Vonn crashes on the slopes, closing her Olympic comeback. I pray to God she is OK God bless her. At 41 Skiing without an ACL shows strength and character and the Olympic spirit pic.twitter.com/aBWl8nLknb— Le Papillon Bleu (@LePappilionBleu) February 8, 2026 Most people can't walk with a torn ACL. Lindsey Vonn tried to ski an Olympic Downhill at 80mph with one.Built. Different. 😤🦾#WinterOlympics #LindseyVonn https://t.co/FtQaniKCQO pic.twitter.com/cXFtbkEzYW— UK Reality Talk (@UKRealityHub) February 8, 2026 Sort of chilling seeing Lindsey Vonn being saluted by the crowd for the final time at the Olympics as she flies over them in a helicopter. pic.twitter.com/0QDx1FXP3q— Matt Barnes (@Matt_NBC4) February 8, 2026 One of the more stomach churning things I’ve seen on television. The cries of pain from Lindsey Vonn will be hard to remove from my mind.— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) February 8, 2026 Absolute nightmare for the great Lindsay Vonn. She completely wiped out early in his first run. Remember, she ruptured her left ACL 9 days ago. Gave it a go. And now disaster strikes. Awful awful scenes. Feel horrible for her.— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 8, 2026 ...read more read less