Lindsey Vonn informed the place accountability falls after Winter Olympics horror crash

IOC sports director Pierre Ducrey has said Lindsey Vonn and her team decided she could compete at Milan Cortina 2026 despite ACL injury before her devastating crash

IOC sports director Pierre Ducrey has revealed that Lindsey Vonn and her team made the decision that she was physically capable of competing in Milan and Cortina. The 41-year-old’s involvement in this year’s Winter Olympics became one of the most talked-about storylines leading up to the start of the competition.

Vonn tore her ACL during a World Cup race shortly before the games commenced in Italy, yet remained determined to participate. She received widespread acclaim for her courage to continue racing despite the devastating injury.

However, just 13 seconds into her downhill skiing event – 15 years after her 2010 triumph – she struck a slalom gate and went tumbling down the mountainside. Vonn required helicopter evacuation to hospital, where she subsequently underwent surgery for a fractured left leg.

Following the harrowing accident, Ducrey avoided giving his view on whether she should have taken part, emphasising that the decision rested with her and her team.

Ducrey stated: “She was able to train and made the choice with the excellent team that she has to take part…this decision was really hers & her team to take. She made the decision & unfortunately it led to the injury.”

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Ducrey’s remarks echoed those of Johan Eliasch, the International Ski Federation chief. When posed with the same question, he responded: “This has to be decided by the individual athlete.

“What is also important for people to understand is that the accident that she had yesterday, she was incredibly unlucky, one in a thousand. This is something which is part of ski racing and it’s a dangerous sport.”

Prior to the competition starting, her coach Aksel Lund Svindal had maintained that Vonn was in sufficiently good physical shape to challenge for medals, despite her ACL injury. During Saturday’s abbreviated session, she even recorded the third quickest time.

Nevertheless, during the race, she was attempting to match Breezy Johnson’s outstanding time – which ultimately proved sufficient to claim the gold medal – and gave everything she had, resulting in her crash. Vonn has subsequently undergone surgery on her fractured leg.

It’s also believed there’s a possibility she may require additional surgery before being discharged from hospital, according to France 24. One bright spot for Vonn is her position at the summit of the World Cup standings.

The injury in Milan and Cortina will probably bring her World Cup downhill season to a premature end, with two months remaining before the campaign concludes.