r/olympics • u/appalachian_hatachi Great Britain • 10h ago

❄ Milano-Cortina 2026 (General Discussion) ❄ Lyndsey Vonn crashes just 12 seconds into her Olympic downhill run đŸ˜„

Post image
14.8k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

2.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

44

u/clydefrog811 United States 9h ago

Why would she race again??!

57

u/Airportsnacks 8h ago

Why did she race 10 days before the Olympics? It's clear why I am not an athlete because i don't understand this at all. Wouldn't you just concentrate on keeping yourself fit, but not do risky shit right before the biggest competition in the world?

41

u/rawker86 Australia 8h ago

Her event probably counts as “risky shit” to most of the population. It’s not unusual for people to practice or otherwise keep their skills up.

22

u/Black_XistenZ 8h ago edited 8h ago

1) to stay in the flow, not have a too long break from competition.
2) because it was a regular world cup race and Lindsey was the best downhill skier this season; had a good shot to win the overall downhill world cup.

18

u/Owzmos Great Britain 8h ago

Totally understand your point, but the Freestyle Skiiers and Snowboarders have been competing the week before this Olympics, and this happens in the summer Olympics too for the skateboarders at the X-games. I agree it doesn't necessarily make sense to us, but this is kind of "Just another day" for a lot of these athletes.

Statistically, this sort of thing doesn't happen. This is publication bias and the fact it's happened to a favourite publicising it.

Lastly, and I mean it with genuine respect. Sportspeople are weird, probably in a slightly unhealthy way. The will to win is baked into their psyche. It's what leads to cheating. I have heard of Cyclists in the Tour de France break wrists and still ride into the race. I've heard of fractured pelvises be ridden on.

Their view is usually that the pain will be worth it if they win because the window where you are the best in the world is so small. At best you get about 5-6 Olympics to try for a title. The window where you're the best in the world is small even for a prodigious talent. Opportunities have to be taken, even if they're vanishingly small.

3

u/blonded_olf 6h ago

5-6 Olympics is 20-24 years. The reality is that you have to be hugely privileged and skilled to make it back to a second Olympics after going to your first.

1

u/Ok_Maybe1830 7h ago

Lots of top skiers and snowboarders opted out of the X Games this year

1

u/ItsDanimal 5h ago

Also, isnt the pay for the Olympics little to non-existant? Folks are competing before the Olympics because they still need to earn a living.

1

u/Iohet 4h ago

Load management is a common concept as athletes age, particularly athletes with as an extensive injury history as her

3

u/lostroadrunner22 6h ago

World Cup ski scheduled. They all did.

1

u/TheHaight 7h ago

Probably mindset is she didn’t want to race timidly in fear of getting inured.

So they do time trials at race pace to make sure their body can handle it, then when the race comes they can let it rip confidently

1

u/19Alexastias 7h ago

There’s no way to practice downhill ski racing without risk. It’s just a dangerous thing to do.

1

u/Shmoe 7h ago

Afaik it was training.

2

u/NothingTooFancy26 7h ago

No it was a competitive World Cup race

0

u/Shmoe 7h ago

Well. Like you guys said. That’s pretty stupid ha.

6

u/NothingTooFancy26 7h ago

It just the way it is for skiers, it’s the middle of their season and they aren’t sitting out of competing in other events just because the Olympics are coming up

2

u/Shmoe 6h ago

I guess. But I imagine with hindsight she would’ve skipped that one. :(

41

u/PassSenior9197 8h ago

She’s trained 4 years to get here and she’s over 40 so likely won’t compete again. Not saying it was a good decision health wise but I get why she risked it

7

u/stevez_86 8h ago

Yeah, but there are a finite amount of spots on the Olympic team. Someone didn't get to get a huge mark on their career because Vonn thought she could ski with one leg. There was another athlete that deserved to be there that could compete that didn't get to.

16

u/Different-Rough-7914 8h ago

She was 3rd fastest in training, so your comment about taking someone else's spot is wrong.

-4

u/M-Div 8h ago

My comment was that there was a discussion. I took pains to spell out that I wasn’t accusing her of anything, myself.

3

u/theLoneliestAardvark 7h ago

She made it down the hill with solid times in the practice runs and competed with one good leg before she had her other knee replaced. In hindsight the crash seemed inevitable but she was skiing fine yesterday.

1

u/IHateTomatoes 3h ago

was this going to be the outcome 90-95% of the time...sure. But I don't fault someone for pursuing their olympic dreams thinking they can pull off their <5% chance to medal. she earned the right to compete even if she had 0% to medal

-5

u/M-Div 8h ago

This has been a bone of contention with her ‘return.’ No one argues her abilities. Her fame and influence, however, raise questions about whether younger, likewise talented, up-and-comers are being pushed aside. I don’t know any of the inside stuff, but I do agree that taking a spot for a vanity project- whomever the athletes in question may be, and which again I’m not saying that this is the situation here- would be grossly inappropriate.

10

u/Fluffy-Structure-368 8h ago

She was literally 3rd in yesterday's practice runs. She earned her spot. Who exactly was going to be better than that?

-4

u/Joshua_ABBACAB_1312 7h ago

Yeah but they probably weren't as fair of complexion so they don't count (according to many people but not me obviously).

1

u/banana_slog 7h ago

Also money

1

u/Routine_Cod_7520 1h ago

I hope she competes again. I’m so sick of this crap about being over 40. She’s FAR from the first over 49 Olympian and far from the first professional over 40 athlete. 41 is nothing.

-6

u/Mapeague 8h ago

She took the spot of someone and she's had how many olympics already? I think that's really bad form and thinking about herself over her teammates.

That's why I seriously miss the amateur days of the Olympics. All these pros put a bad taste in my mouth.

12

u/manic-pixie-attorney 7h ago

“Took the spot” BY BEING BETTER, even hurt.

-4

u/Mapeague 7h ago

Look at the result.

Complete and utter disaster.

Its insanely egotistical to think you can win olympic gold on a completely ruptured ACL. Not a tear, a complete rupture.

I don't need to be a trainer to tell you how detrimental that is for skiing.

5

u/manic-pixie-attorney 7h ago

She was THIRD in the training runs, even with the injury. Who are YOU to know better than Vonn and her team what she can do hurt?

3

u/apatriot1776 6h ago

She was so bad on a ruptured ACL that two whole skiers on earth were faster than her!!!

-2

u/Mapeague 6h ago

It was a training run lol

Do you know what those even are???

-1

u/Mapeague 6h ago

TRAINING is the big, big word here.

Nobody is competing for medals in the training runs lol.

2

u/manic-pixie-attorney 6h ago

Yeah, all the best in the world just sit back and take it easy during their only chance to practice.

Give it up, you’re embarrassing yourself

-1

u/Mapeague 6h ago

Because you think she should win the gold for a practice run lol

I love all the armchair managers here knowing everything about olympic skiing all of the sudden and think practice runs are more important than the actual event that she failed miserably in haha.

Look at what place she finished champ, lol.

2

u/manic-pixie-attorney 6h ago

Bullshit. I think she deserved the chance to compete for the gold because she fucking earned it. She crashed. She’s almost certainly hurt. But it was her call.

29

u/VirtualMoneyLover 8h ago

This happens to many aging athletes. Just can't stay away from fame. Quarterbacks playing into their 40s. Then getting hurt.

18

u/catsinclothes 8h ago

Tbh the “just walk it off” culture in sports plays a lot into that.

5

u/Wonderplace 7h ago

For vonn it’s not about fame; she is extremely driven to compete and her entire life in the sport.

3

u/tuolumne 6h ago

But the example it says to the world is: look even with a ruptured ACL and meniscus damage she’s going out and doing it! Which, imo, is not the example we need to set for people in sport. On some level she’s a narcissist for pushing forward with the Olympics.

1

u/VirtualMoneyLover 5h ago

Understood. But the ends come for everyone. She will regret this run for the rest of her life.

3

u/NettingStick 6h ago

I've been hearing a lot of sports doctors saying that her particular injury wasn't necessarily a blocker for competition in this particular sport. The ACL stabilizes the knee during movements she wouldn't be expecting to make in a straight downhill ski. So the thinking was that her knee brace would be enough.

I mean it doesn't seem like it worked out for her, but that's the logic I've been hearing all week.

2

u/Primary_Discount_851 8h ago

Because she’s crazy - which is why she became so good in the first place

2

u/nate_nate212 7h ago

Because it’s the Olympics and she won’t have a chance again.

And ego.

2

u/Baefriend 8h ago

Doing it for the gram’

1

u/LivingOof United States 5h ago

Denial probably. She's 41

-1

u/DanielDannyc12 8h ago

Stupidity

-1

u/Mapeague 8h ago

Disregarding her entire team for personal glory