CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — One race. Two vastly different outcomes.
For the United States' alpine ski team, women's downhill in Cortina delivered both elation and devastation — a gold medal and a stunning crash on the other.
Lindsay Vonn, one of the most accomplished alpine skiers in history, crashed hard during her run and did not finish.
She remained down on the course and was later airlifted off the mountain — the second time in two weeks she has required a helicopter evacuation following a fall.
"Things happen in a split second in this sport," teammate Isabella Wright, a Utah native, said after the competition. "And it was really heartbreaking to see."
Vonn had mounted a remarkable comeback, coming out of retirement to qualify for her fifth Olympic Games.
Instead, this chapter of her career appears to end with a did-not-finish and lingering concern about her health.
But the same race produced a moment of pure joy.
Salt Lake City–based skier Breezy Johnson posted the fastest time of the day, capturing the first gold medal for the United States at these Games.
Johnson's medal didn't survive the celebration.
"It broke," she said, laughing. "I was jumping up and down in excitement and it broke."
Johnson had qualified for the Beijing Games but was forced to withdraw due to injury.
This time, she made it to the start — and to the top of the podium.
"You want it so badly," Johnson said. "I guess today shows that sometimes good things do come to those who wait."
In Cortina, one race delivered both extremes — the cruelty and the magic of alpine skiing, unfolding just minutes apart.
