Even on her bad days, Lindsey Vonn embodies the definition of grace.
Vonn’s Olympic dreams were dashed Sunday when the 41-year-old clipped a gate in the women’s downhill at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games and violently crashed into the snow. Vonn was swiftly airlifted to the hospital, where she underwent surgery for a broken leg.
In what was likely her final Winter Olympics, Vonn went out in the most devastating way imaginable—but that didn’t stop her from being an all-around good sport. In the moments before Vonn was transported the hospital, she shared a classy message to American teammate Breezy Johnson, who was also competing in the women’s downhill, according to her coach.
Forde: Breezy Johnson Unspools Masterful Run to Become Team USA’s Newest Star
“Tell Breezy congrats and good job,” Vonn said, per coach Aksel Lund Svindal, who shared a heartfelt post for Vonn on his Instagram account on Monday.
“Your teammate was in the lead, and that's the message you wanted the US ski team coaches to remember before you got airlifted to the hospital. Real character shows up in the hard moments,” Svindal’s post read.
Lindsey Vonn was determined to send a message of support to USA team-mate Breezy Johnson... even when waiting to be airlifted to the hospital 🥹❤️ pic.twitter.com/mlC902ouES
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) February 9, 2026
Respect.
Johnson went on to triumph in the event, becoming just the second American woman to win Olympic downhill gold. (Vonn was the first U.S. woman to win it back in the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.)
Vonn congratulated Johnson directly in the comments of a Sports Illustrated post about her gold medal win on Instagram, saying she was “So proud” of her 30-year-old teammate.
With the odds stacked against Vonn, who suffered a ruptured left ACL a little over a week before her race, the U.S. alpine skiing legend didn’t get the storybook ending she would have wanted for her ambitious comeback saga. But, she was more than happy to see Johnson open her own glittering Olympic chapter and perhaps symbolically pass the torch to the young American star for brighter days ahead.
More Winter Olympics on Sports Illustrated
- Team USA Women’s Hockey Shrugs Off Switzerland in 5–0 Rout, But the Real Test Still Looms
- Tying a Bow on It: Brittany Bowe Is Embracing Joy in Her Olympic Farewell
- With Compassion and Grit, Mikaela Shiffrin Is Carrying the U.S. in More Ways Than One
- Lindsey Vonn's Dad Addressed Her Skiing Future After Brutal Olympic Crash
- How to Watch Team USA Curling’s Gold Medal Match at Winter Olympics
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lindsey Vonn Had Classy Message for USA’s Breezy Johnson After Olympics Crash.
