Lindsey Vonn airlifted from course after crashing in final downhill before Milan Cortina Olympics

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Lindsey Vonn crashed in her final downhill race before the Winter Olympics on Friday and was airlifted from the course for medical checks, a troubling turn for the 41-year-old U.S. ski star just a week before the Milan Cortina Games.

Vonn — the third skier to crash in the World Cup race in Crans-Montana — lost control when landing a jump and ended up tangled in the safety nets on the upper portion of the course.

She got up after receiving medical attention for about 5 minutes, seemingly in pain and using her poles to steady herself. Vonn then skied slowly to the finish line, stopping a couple of times on the way down and clutching her left knee.

The race, which was held in difficult conditions with low visibility, was canceled after Vonn's crash.

It wasn't immediately clear how the crash would impact Vonn's Olympic preparations. The American, who was expected to be one of the biggest stars of the Games, limped into a tent for medical attention before being airlifted away by helicopter, dangling from a hoist cable with two people attending her.

The U.S. Ski Team said on social media that she was being evaluated.

Before she entered the tent, Vonn had an anxious expression on her face and her eyes were closed during a long embrace with teammate Jacqueline Wiles, who was leading the race when it was canceled.

“I know she hurt her knee, I talked to her,” the International Ski and Snowboard Federation CEO Urs Lehmann told reporters in the finish area. “I don’t know if it’s really heavy and (if) she won’t miss the Olympics. Let’s wait for what the doctors are saying.”

Vonn made a stunning comeback last season at age 40 after nearly six years away from ski racing. Skiing with a partial titanium implant in her right knee, she has been the circuit’s leading downhiller this season with two victories and three other podium finishes in the five races.

Including super-G, Vonn had completed eight World Cup races this season and finished on the podium in seven of them. Her worst finish was fourth.

The crash occurred exactly a week before the Milan Cortina opening ceremony.

Vonn’s first Olympic race is the women’s downhill on Feb. 8. She was also planning on competing in the super-G and the new team combined event at the Games.

Women's skiing at the Olympics will be held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, where Vonn holds the record of 12 World Cup wins.

Vonn was also planning on racing a super-G in Crans-Montana on Saturday in what would have been her final race before the Games.

Vonn was the sixth racer in Friday's downhill and had registered the fastest time at the first checkpoint before landing a jump off-balance. She lifted her left arm and pole high into the air in an attempt to regain her balance. As she tried to brake, she got spun around and ended up in the nets.

Two other skiers had also crashed before her: Nina Ortlieb of Austria and Marte Monsen of Norway.

Ortlieb crashed on top in the same area as Vonn and Monsen hit the nets just before the finish area and had to be taken away in a sled. The race was delayed after both of those crashes. But then two racers — Wiles and Corinne Suter, the Olympic champion, completed their runs.

Wiles barely could make the tight final left-hand turn that had tricked Monsen.

Romane Miradoli of France, who did complete her run as the second to start, said visibility was an issue, with snow falling.

“You can't see," Miradoli said, "and it's bumpy everywhere.”

Asked if it was dangerous, Miradoli added, "We just couldn’t see well.”

Vonn has had numerous crashes in her career. One of her worst was at the 2013 world championships in Schladming, Austria, during a super-G that was also held in difficult conditions. Vonn then had to be airlifted off the course and tore apart her right knee. She returned the following season, got hurt again and missed the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The race started Friday in a subdued mood in Crans-Montana which is coping with the trauma of a devastating fire in bar in the early hours of New Year's Day that killed 40 people and injured more than 100. A minute's silence was observed before racing.

The finish area stripped of color and the usual sponsor adverts. Instead, it was dressed with white and black banners featuring a ribbon with the words “Our thoughts are with you” written in French, German, Italian and English.

AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf contributed.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

United States' Lindsey Vonn approaches the finish area after crashing, during an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill, in Crans Montana, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

United States' Lindsey Vonn holds her left knee after crashing, during an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill, in Crans Montana, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

United States' Lindsey Vonn at the finish area after crashing, during an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill, in Crans Montana, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (Alessandro Della Valle/Keystone via AP)

United States' Lindsey Vonn at the finish line after crashing, during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Crans Montana , Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

United States' Lindsey Vonn at the finish line after crashing, during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Crans Montana , Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

United States' Lindsey Vonn at the finish line after crashing, during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Crans Montana , Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

United States' Lindsey Vonn at the finish line after crashing, during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Crans Montana , Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

United States' Lindsey Vonn at the finish line after crashing, during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Crans Montana , Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

United States' Lindsey Vonn ahead of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Crans Montana , Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

BELZONI, Miss. (AP) — Tens of thousands of people entered their sixth day with no electricity Friday as the Carolinas and Virginia prepare for a significant winter storm that could bring more snowfall than some parts of North Carolina have seen in years.

The National Weather Service said arctic air moving into the Southeast will cause already frigid temperatures to plummet into the teens (minus 10 degrees Celsius) on Friday night in cities like Nashville, Tennessee, where many people still lacked power nearly a week after a massive storm dumped snow and ice across the eastern U.S.

More than 230,000 homes and businesses were without electricity Friday morning, with the vast majority of those outages in Mississippi and Tennessee, according to the outage tracking website poweroutage.us.

Forecasters say the subfreezing weather will persist in the eastern U.S. into February and there’s high chance of heavy snow in the Carolinas, Virginia and northeast Georgia this weekend, possibly up to a foot (30 centimeters) in parts of North Carolina. Snow is also possible along the East Coast from Maryland to Maine.

On Saturday night and early Sunday, forecasters expect intense winds accompanied by moderate to heavy snow that could lead to blizzard conditions for a time before the storm starts to move out to sea Sunday morning.

With the wave of dangerous cold heading for the U.S. South on Friday, experts say the risk of hypothermia heightens for people in parts of Mississippi and Tennessee who are entering their sixth day trapped at home without power in subfreezing temperatures.

“The longer you’re exposed to the cold, the worse it is,” said Dr. Hans House, a professor of emergency medicine at the University of Iowa. “The body can handle cold temperatures briefly very well, but the prolonged exposure is a problem.”

People who are more vulnerable — the elderly, infants and those with underlying health conditions — may have started experiencing hypothermia symptoms within hours of being exposed to the frigid temperatures, explained Dr. Zheng Ben Ma, medical director of the University of Washington Medical Center’s northwest emergency department. That includes everything from exhaustion to slurred speech and memory loss.

But almost a week in and the situation is nearing a turning point, he explained: Younger people who are generally healthy could potentially begin to fall victim to these symptoms as well.

“Once you get into days six, seven, upwards of 10, then even a healthy, resilient person will be more predisposed to experiencing some of those deleterious effects of the cold temperature,” he said.

Mississippi officials say it’s the state’s worst winter storm since 1994. About 80 warming centers were opened across the state, known as one of the nation’s poorest. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said National Guard troops were delivering meals, blankets and other supplies by truck and helicopter.

In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee said crews had distributed more than 600 units of warming supplies and more than 2,200 gallons (8,328 liters) of gas and diesel.

At least 85 people have died in areas affected by bitter cold from Texas to New Jersey. Roughly half the deaths were reported in Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. While some deaths have been attributed to hypothermia, others are suspected to be related to carbon monoxide exposure.

Dr. Abhi Mehrotra, an emergency medicine physician with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said it's important to make sure heat sources used indoors, including generators, are not emitting carbon monoxide, which could be deadly.

Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia, and Thanawala from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Jeff Martin in Atlanta; Jonathan Mattise and Travis Loller in Nashville, Tennessee; Sarah Brumfield in Washington; Devi Shastri in Milwaukee and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

Sherry Miller, who is staying at the Humphreys County warming center, passes the time playing dominoes with others seeking shelter in Belzoni, Miss., on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Sophie Bates)

Jean Christophe rides his bike home from Kroger on snow and ice in Memphis, Tenn., Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian via AP)

Jimmy Jordan, left, and Cordarol Dale walk through snow in Memphis, Tenn., Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian via AP)