American skier Lindsey Vonn suffers hairline knee fracture in crash

Lindsey Vonn has had her share of ups and downs on the ski slopes.

What happened Saturday definitely qualifies as the latter.

The American ski star was evacuated off the slope by sled after crashing about 50 seconds of the way through what would have been roughly a minute run during a super-G event in Andorra. The U.S. ski team noted that Vonn had the best time at the FIS Ski World Cup event in Soldeu-el Tarter when she went down.

“She was taken off the mountain on a sled by ski patrol for evaluation,” the U.S. Ski Association said in a statement. “She is presently being evaluated to determine if she sustained any injuries.”

Vonn later confirmed that she had suffered a hairline fracture of her left knee.

“Got caught in the soft snow today and crashed pretty hard. X-rays showed I have a hairline fracture in my left knee and will get an MRI on Monday,” Vonn wrote in a post to her Instagram account.

But despite the injury, she did not rule out competing in Sunday’s super combined race at the same venue.

“I will wait and see how I feel tomorrow to decide if I can race. Will keep you updated.”

Vonn is 31 years old and already has an extensive injury history, like the torn ACL/MCL and fractured tibial plateau she suffered during the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in February 2013.

Vonn pushed hard to come back, according to her U.S. ski team bio, only to be derailed by a training crash the following November and more knee troubles in months to come that kept her out of the 2014 Olympics, her official U.S. ski team bio notes.

Yet the Minnesota native since has come back strong.

Entering this weekend, she led all others in the contest for alpine skiing’s World Cup – outpacing Switzerland’s Lara Gut with 1,215 points, which is nearly 400 more than Viktoria Rebensburg in third place.

Vonn hasn’t been only made her mark on the slopes. She’s also been in the news for dating golf great Tiger Woods and, more recently, for posing only in body paint for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

The start of Saturday’s super G event in Andorra was delayed several hours due to strong winds and snowfall.

It was eventually won by Federica Brignone of Italy with U.S. skier Laurenne Ross finishing second.

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Lindsey Vonn is one of the most successful skiers in the history of the sport. The 31-year-old, who has become a global phenomenon, has won more World Cup races than any other female skier.

Vonn says she has no regrets over her split with golfer Tiger Woods, the 14-time major winner. The pair were together for three years before announcing their separation in May 2015.

Vonn watches Woods during the Masters golf tournament earlier this year.

The golfer was also a regular on the slopes to cheer on the 2010 Olympic champion.

The pair went public in March 2013 on Facebook and were in the public eye for much of their relationship.

Vonn grew close to Woods' kids Charlie and Sam -- walking around the Par-3 course with the pair at the 2015 Augusta Masters.

The two attracted attention wherever they went but their hectic schedules meant that the relationship fizzled out after three years. "I'm enjoying just kind of focusing on myself right now," said Vonn.

Vonn is aiming to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. She won gold at the 2010 Games in the downhill.

Vonn returned to the slopes at the Aspen Winternational in November where she began her quest for World Cup glory.

Vonn's thoughts are now turning towards motherhood. "Life is a lot different. You can't have a family at home and keep racing. It's one or the other."

Lindsey Vonn: Tiger, gold and motherhood

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