Vonn showed true colors with helicopter gesture to | Sports News

Winter Olympics legend Lindsey Vonn refused to let her devastating crash on the Winter Olympics stop her from supporting Team USA. Gold medal-winning team-mate Breezy Johnson revealed the 41-year-old was cheering her on whereas being airlifted from Cortina d’Ampezzo following her fall during the downhill occasion.

Vonn, who has since undergone surgical procedure, was making her first Winter Olympics look since 2018 after briefly retiring from the game and lacking the 2022 Games.

However, Sunday’s comeback resulted in devastation when she clipped a flag marker on the higher part of the descent and went crashing down. The accident was significantly gut-wrenching given Vonn, 41, had solely lately disclosed she had “completely ruptured” her ACL in her left knee only one week earlier than her Olympics return.

While some criticized organizers and coaches for allowing the veteran to compete in what’s probably her remaining video games, others praised her demonstration of braveness and willpower. Johnson, 30, was amongst these admirers and disclosed that Vonn was celebrating her victory even whereas being transported to the hospital by helicopter.

Johnson had completed her run prior to Vonn’s descent, and her efficiency was robust enough to declare the highest spot on the rostrum. “Her coach said she was cheering for me in the helicopter, so I hope for the best for her,” she stated. “I hope that it’s not too bad. My heart aches for her. It’s such a brutal sport sometimes.

“I had a good feeling and I can not actually consider it but. I knew I had to push and go more durable than I did in coaching. I could not afford to be something different than clean.”

Johnson clinched gold by a razor-thin margin of just 0.04 seconds over Germany’s Emma Aicher, marking her maiden Olympic medal. In doing so, she became only the second American to triumph in this discipline, following in Lindsey Vonn’s footsteps from 2010.

Vonn’s anguished screams triggered an emotional reaction from BBC commentator Chemmy Alcott, who struggled to maintain composure while describing the heartbreaking scene of the fallen skier. Johnson paid tribute to her compatriot while savoring her career-defining moment.

“I want you all of the best and I hope to see you back,” she added. “What you’ve got already achieved is a lot, it’s unbelievable, and my coronary heart hurts for you and I want you all of the best.”

Nearly a year ago, Johnson reached another pinnacle at the 2025 Alpine World Ski Championships, where she captured her inaugural world titles in both the downhill and team combined competitions in Austria.

After being sidelined from the 2022 Winter Olympics due to injury, she seized her opportunity this time around. With Vonn’s support from a distance, Johnson’s earlier time of one minute, 36.10 seconds proved enough to secure the ultimate prize.

Earlier this month, Johnson stood by Vonn’s choice to race despite her knee injury. When questioned on social media platform Threads about why no substitute was announced, the newly crowned Olympic gold medalist indicated that the public doesn’t always receive complete information.

“There will probably be six Americans operating the Downhill coaching runs, and if Lindsey can’t compete… or does not really feel aggressive enough, others can take her place,” she wrote. “But more athletes have competed with out an ACL than you suppose. They simply usually do not speak about it as a result of they do not need to hear about it from the peanut gallery.”