Lindsey Vonn is preparing to fly home to the US with more surgeries to come, team official tells AP

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Lindsey Vonn was preparing to fly back to her home country on Sunday after her terrifying head-over-heels crash in the Olympic downhill, the U.S. Ski Team’s chief told The Associated Press.

Sophie Goldschmidt, president and CEO of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, told the AP the team’s medical staff has been coordinating Vonn’s recovery since the crash and subsequent helicopter evacuation at the Milan Cortina Games and would try to accompany her home. Vonn has had multiple surgeries in Italy to repair a complex tibia fracture in her left leg.

“We’re working through all of that at the moment,” Goldschmidt said. “We’ve got a great team around helping her and she’ll go back to the U.S. for further surgeries.”

Spectators tuning in to see Vonn attempt to win a medal at age 41 with a torn ACL in her left knee and a partial titanium replacement in her right knee were thrown into shock when the American standout got hooked on a gate 13 seconds into her run — resulting in a spinning, air-born crash that sent her careening down the Dolomite mountain.

“The impact, the silence, everyone was just in shock. And you could tell it was a really nasty injury,” said Goldschmidt, who was in attendance for the fall. “There’s a lot of danger in doing all sorts of Alpine sports but it gives more of an appreciation for how superhuman these athletes are.

“I mean putting your body on the line, going at those speeds, the physicality. Sometimes actually on the broadcast it’s really hard to get that across,” Goldschmidt added. “Danger sometimes brings fans in and is pretty captivating. We obviously hope we won’t have injuries like that but it is unfortunately part and parcel of our sports.”

Vonn herself has no regrets.

“When I think back on my crash, I didn’t stand in the starting gate unaware of the potential consequences,” Vonn said in an Instagram post late Saturday. “I knew what I was doing. I chose to take a risk. Every skier in that starting gate took the same risk. Because even if you are the strongest person in the world, the mountain always holds the cards.

“But just because I was ready, that didn’t guarantee me anything. Nothing in life is guaranteed. That’s the gamble of chasing your dreams, you might fall but if you don’t try you’ll never know,” Vonn added.

Goldschmidt visited Vonn at the hospital twice and said, “She’s not in pain. She’s in a stable condition.

“She took an aggressive line and was all in and it was inches off what could have ended up a very different way,” Goldschmidt said. “But what she’s done for our sports and the sport in general, her being a role model, has gone to a whole new level. You learn often more about people during these tough moments than when they’re winning.”

On the day that Vonn crashed, teammate Breezy Johnson won gold in downhill.

Also, Ryan-Cochran-Siegle took silver in super-G for a second straight Olympics and Jacqueline Wiles and Paula Moltzan took bronze in team combined.

Four years ago, Cochran-Siegle earned the only U.S. Alpine medal in Beijing.

“We’ve invested and worked really hard with our Alpine team over the last few years and it’s nice to see that kind of pay off,” Goldschmidt said. “There’s so many variables in these sports. ... The pressure and spotlight affects people in so many different ways.”

Mikaela Shiffrin is an overwhelming favorite to conclude the Alpine program with a gold in slalom on Wednesday. She has won 71 of her record 108 World Cup victories in the discipline.

Shiffrin couldn’t hold onto a medal position in combined after Johnson, her teammate for the event, led the downhill leg, then finished 11th in the giant slalom on Sunday.

“She is the ultimate role model on and off the snow,” Goldschmidt said. “When you work with Mikaela there is no risk. She’s completely committed and doing everything she can. ... To have the records that she does, she clearly is a big-race skier.

“Regardless (of her Olympic results) she’s an all-time great and someone that makes us proud on a very regular basis and a great teammate as well.”

Goldschmidt has also been checking in on the U.S. cross-country, freestyle and snowboard teams with an itinerary that has also taken her to Bormio, Livigno and Val di Fiemme.

Sunday marked the third time of the Olympics that she was in Cortina after “thousands” of driving miles.

With mountain passes closed in winter, the route from Cortina to Livigno and on to Bormio requires traveling a section of road in Switzerland and then the Munt la Schera Tunnel back into Italy.

Since the tunnel has only one lane, travelers need to wait for cars to come out from the other end before the traffic direction switches.

“I’ve been through that three times,” Goldschmidt said. “I really want to show my support. We care about all our teams.”

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

United States' Jacqueline Wiles, left, and Paula Moltzen pose with their bronze medals of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Silver medal's winner United States' Ryan Cochran Siegle attends the podium ceremony for a men's super-G race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Wednesday, Feb.11, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

United States' Breezy Johnson shows her gold medal in the alpine ski women's downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

General view of Ca' Foncello Hospital in Treviso, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, where U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn is hospitalized with a broken leg after crashing during the women's downhill competition at the Milan-Cortina Olympics. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)

United States' Lindsey Vonn is airlifted away after a crash during an alpine ski women's downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

United States' Lindsey Vonn crashes during an alpine ski women's downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — France inevitably racked up a record win against struggling Wales on Sunday and was the only unbeaten team in the Six Nations after two rounds.

Favored to win back-to-back titles, France scored eight tries, the first after just 88 seconds. The 54-12 scoreline eclipsed its previous high against Wales of 51-0 in 1998 at Wembley Stadium.

France didn't overpower Wales as it could easily have. Instead, France played sevens style, keeping the ball alive, offloading, stepping and slicing the Welsh apart. The loose and slippery nature of France's game — 28 line breaks — didn't allow Wales time to reset its defense.

The speed suited France's new and young centers, Pau clubmates Fabien Brau-Boirie, 20, and Émilien Gailleton, 22. They both touched down and Gailleton was replaced late by another debutant Noah Néné, 21. Flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert was the man of the match after scoring one try and assisting on three more.

“When you're pushed to the edge of the cliff you're capable of doing great things, but when you're being praised it can sometimes be hard to get fired up in a combat sport,” France coach Fabien Galthié said.

“There's great maturity in this team but also lots of young guys. And we need those (older) players to keep us on the straight and narrow and make sure we don't get carried away.”

Wales' Six Nations losing streak since 2023 was extended to 13 matches. The game attracted only 57,744 spectators, the smallest Wales home crowd since the tournament expanded in 2000.

Wales supporters wanting their side to work hard and fight to the end were rewarded, even though their team was outgunned everywhere. Wales kept France scoreless for more than 20 minutes in the first half and for the last 19 minutes of the match.

But the end result was familiar. Wales, yet to hire a full-time defense coach, has conceded 50-plus scores in five of its last six home matches, to England (68-14), Argentina (52-28), New Zealand (52-26) and South Africa (73-0).

“If you look at the athletes France have, if we kick a little too far or if there's an offload they come alive,” Wales coach Steve Tandy told the BBC. "You have to tip your hat to France and where they are as a team.

“For us it's transitioning, we're not where we want to be. Ultimately we're at this point in our journey.”

France was on the board after 88 seconds and had the bonus-point fourth try by halftime.

Gailleton crossed first, set up by Antoine Dupont, Theo Atissogbe and Charles Ollivon.

Left wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey then took a kick-pass from Jalibert and notched his 12th Six Nations try in 11 matches.

Bielle-Biarrey's initial break led to Jalibert sending Brau-Boirie flying in and France was 19-0 up after 15 minutes.

Wales won the restart and prop Rhys Carre eventually crashed over but Wales couldn't hold out France before halftime when right wing Atissogbe put in Jalibert for 26-7.

The second half was a procession for France with four more tries in 17 minutes.

Hooker Julien Marchand scored from a lineout drive, Attisogbe bagged a pair thanks to Bielle-Biarrey and Jalibert, and Ollivon grabbed the last. Thomas Ramos had target practice and converted seven of the eight tries.

Captain Dupont was rested before the hour mark. France welcome Italy in Lille next weekend.

Wales had the last say through replacement back Mason Grady and stays at home to face Scotland. There were still nearly 7,000 tickets unsold for that game.

“It's our job to make people want to come and watch games," Wales captain Dewi Lake told the BBC. “We're a side that are not getting results but all we can ask is that people stick with us, come on the journey with us, because we're growing as a team.”

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

France's Louis Bielle-Biarrey scores a try during the Six Nations rugby union match between Wales and France in Cardiff, Wales, Sunday Feb. 15, 2026. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)

France's Matthieu Jalibert, left, in action during the Six Nations rugby union match between Wales and France in Cardiff, Wales, Sunday Feb. 15, 2026. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)

France's Fabien Brau-Boirie scores a try during the Six Nations rugby union match between Wales and France in Cardiff, Wales, Sunday Feb. 15, 2026. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)