{"id":9640,"date":"2026-02-09T14:33:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T14:33:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/?p=9640"},"modified":"2026-02-09T14:33:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T14:33:06","slug":"coach-shares-lindsey-vonns-first-words-after-devastating-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/coach-shares-lindsey-vonns-first-words-after-devastating-crash\/","title":{"rendered":"Coach Shares Lindsey Vonn\u2019s First Words After Devastating Crash"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lindsey Vonn\u2019s return to the Winter Olympics was one of the most anticipated storylines of the Games\u2014but just 13 seconds into her downhill run, disaster struck. The 41-year-old clipped a gate at top speed, lost control, and crashed hard, sliding down the icy course in pain. Airlifted by helicopter, she underwent surgery for a broken leg, but officials confirmed her condition is now stable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. Alpine Director Anouk Patty reminded fans of the risks athletes take: \u201cThis sport is brutal. They\u2019re throwing themselves down a mountain at incredible speeds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-206-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9641\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:600px;height:600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-206-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-206-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-206-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-206-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-206.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><sub><kbd><sup>Lindsey Vonn of Team United States crashes during the Women\u2019s Downhill on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre on February 08, 2026 in Cortina d\u2019Ampezzo, Italy. (Screengrab by IOC via Getty Images)<\/sup><\/kbd><\/sub><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While critics debated whether Vonn should have competed with a torn ACL, her coach, Norwegian legend Aksel Lund Svindal, revealed what truly defined her in that moment. Even after the crash, Lindsey\u2019s thoughts were not on herself but on her teammate: \u201cTell Breezy congrats and good job,\u201d she instructed. Breezy Johnson went on to claim Olympic gold in the downhill, finishing ahead of Germany\u2019s Emma Aicher and Italy\u2019s Sofia Goggia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fellow American Isabella Wright watched the crash from above, hoping Lindsey could make it down safely. \u201cShe deserved a better ending than that. I\u2019m heartbroken,\u201d Wright said. Yet Lindsey\u2019s message for Breezy captured her extraordinary character\u2014selfless, resilient, and inspiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Continue reading on next page&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--nextpage-->\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"sv\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;Hon g\u00e5r omkull!&quot; \ud83c\udf99<br><br>Mardr\u00f6m f\u00f6r Lindsey Vonn! Den amerikanska storstj\u00e4rnan kraschar ut i st\u00f6rtloppet.<br><br>\ud83d\udcf2 Streama hela OS i Milano Cortina 2026 p\u00e5 HBO Max och se det b\u00e4sta p\u00e5 Eurosport 1. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/g6dCL2AmxS\">pic.twitter.com\/g6dCL2AmxS<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Sports on HBO Max \ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddea (@sportshbomaxse) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sportshbomaxse\/status\/2020456398975283703?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 8, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even in her toughest hour, Lindsey Vonn showed what sets true champions apart: courage, sportsmanship, and heart. It\u2019s not just medals that define greatness\u2014it\u2019s the care for others, the strength to face adversity, and the grace to lift those around you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What do you think of Lindsey\u2019s reaction after the crash? Share your thoughts and celebrate true sportsmanship in the comments!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lindsey Vonn\u2019s return to the Winter Olympics was one of the most anticipated storylines of the Games\u2014but just 13 seconds&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9642,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9640"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9640\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9643,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9640\/revisions\/9643"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}