Numerous Winter Olympics spectators took to social media platforms to express their discontent over the airing of Lindsey Vonn’s disturbing ski accident audio on Sunday (February 8).
The Team USA athlete disclosed last week that she had suffered a ruptured ACL, along with meniscal damage and a bone bruise, making her participation in the 2026 Games an unexpected development.
Vonn recorded the third-fastest time in the second downhill training session on Saturday, prompting fans to speculate she might be returning to her peak form.
Unfortunately, the Olympian experienced a severe crash on Sunday morning when she hit one of the flags on the challenging course while attempting to secure a medal.
The footage showed Vonn tumbling down the slope before coming to a stop, leaving the crowd at Milano Cortina 2026 in a stunned silence.
Live coverage captured Vonn’s cries as medics quickly approached to assist her. The 41-year-old was subsequently airlifted to a hospital, and her current condition is still unknown.
Heartbreak for Lindsey Vonn… she had a horrible crash early in her run in the women's downhill 💔#MilanoCortina2026 pic.twitter.com/6IM8Ts2BTq
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 8, 2026
Here is the replay of Lindsey Vonn’s crash:#FISAlpine | #WorldCupCransMontana pic.twitter.com/1xhAuQanP0
— Team USA Olympics Updates and Coverage (@TeamUSAOLYCov) January 30, 2026
In the wake of the crash, numerous fans took to social media questioning the decision to continue broadcasting footage of Vonn as she received medical care.
One individual wrote on X: “Those cries from Lindsey Vonn are heartbreaking. She’s obviously in a lot of pain. The cameramen need to be told to keep the camera off of her, and mute the mics so they don’t pick up her anguished cries. Have some respect for not just a legendary athlete, but a human being.”
Another viewer described the footage and audio as ‘stomach churning’, adding: “The cries of pain from Lindsey Vonn will be hard to remove from my mind.”
A third expressed: “Watching Lindsey Vonn fall and hearing her scream in panic is terrible,” while another commented: “I appreciate the footage they’re continuing to show from the downhill Skiing, but I’m not sure we should have heard the mics of Lindsey Vonn’s screams for so long after the crash.”
Lastly, another user summed up: “Sick to my stomach seeing Lindsay screaming in agony. This looked so bad.”
Following the incident, the US ski team announced that Vonn ‘fell in the Olympic downhill and will be evaluated by medical staff’. This statement remains the only official update about the athlete at the time of writing.
Before competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Vonn had shared the severity of her ACL injury in an Instagram post, stating: “My ACL was fully functioning until last Friday. Just because it seems impossible to you doesn’t mean it’s not possible. And yes, my ACL is 100% ruptured. Not 80% or 50%. It’s 100% gone.”
Requests for comments have been made to the Olympic authorities for further information.