Four time World Cup skiing champion and Olympic gold medalist, Lindsey Vonn, has been airlifted to the hospital after a serious crash at the Alpine Skiing World Championship in Austria.
The Associated Press reported that Vonn crashed during the super-G on Tuesday and she has apparently hurt her right knee.
Vonn,28, reportedly lost balance on her right leg while landing and her ski came off while she slid and hit a gate before stopping. She received treatment on the scene before being airlifted by helicopter to the hospital.
The BBC reported that Vonn was reported to have ruptured cruciate ligaments in her right knee. The crash
Vonn is a four time overall World Cup champ and was the 2009 world downhill and super-G champion. Peter Schroecksnadel, Austrian Ski Federation president said that doctors said that Vonn had torn her lateral and cruciate ligaments.
Vonn was taken to a local hospital and the race continued. Other racers, Maria Hoefl-Riesch and Anna Fenninger also dropped out after they made mistakes on the slope, reported the BBC.
There was a problem with visibility on the slope. "It's not a very difficult course but in some parts you couldn't see anything,"said Swiss skier Fabienne Sutter.
"Vonn had won 18 of the last World Cup 28 super-G races. Tina Maze of Slovenia, the World Cup overall leader, won the race. Lara Gut of Switzerland placed second and Julia Mancuso of the United States placed third," reported the New York Times.
Von is a talented and highly acclaimed skier, participating in the World Cup at only 16 years old in 2000 before she went on to compete at the 2003 Olympics in Utah.
Von recently made headlines for her romantic relationship rumors with Tiger Woods.
US Weekly reported that Woods, 37, and Vonn, 28, have reportedly been dating since November and they have been spotted hanging out together this month in Antigua and skiing in Salzburg, Austria.
"Lindsey is currently in the midst of the World Cup season in Europe," a rep for Vonn said to US Weekly"Her focus is solely on competing and on defending her titles and thus she will not participate in any speculation surrounding her personal life at this time."
Vonn divorced skier Thomas Vonn earlier this month after 11 years of marriage. The Los Angeles Times reported that a source close to the two said that "met through the ski community, because Tiger is an active skier. Lindsey has been teaching Tiger's kids Sam and Charlie how to ski."
Vonn returned to skiing in January after taking a month off to rest and recover from an intestinal sickness.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
