The newspaper writes, citing the hospital in Treviso, that Vonn underwent surgery this afternoon for a fracture in her already-injured left leg.
She was reportedly taken there by helicopter from the hospital in Cortina, where she was taken immediately after the crash and examined.
Lindsey Vonn was just over ten seconds into the run when she got caught in a gate and crashed. The large crowd in Cortina suddenly fell silent and competitors hid their faces in their hands. She was heard screaming in pain on the television broadcast.
"That doesn't look good at all," Anja Pärson said on SVT's broadcast.
"The reason for this is that she corrected her line just before this section. Most skiers have had problems with this particular turn," the former alpine star continued.
“Sad day”
Medical personnel took care of the 41-year-old American, who was airlifted.
"It's a sad day," Vonn's father Alan Kildow told Expressen.
The US national team has so far only said that Vonn was undergoing examinations.
"She's okay, but it will take time," Anouk Patty, sports director for the US alpine and snowboard teams, told the AP news agency.
"This is a brutal sport, and you have to remember that competitors throw themselves down the slopes and go really, really fast."
"Awkward"
Anja Pärson believes that it took too long for Vonn to receive help.
"The guy who gets there first is awkward; he doesn't know what to do. You can even hear Lindsey screaming, 'I can't get my skis off,'" she said on SVT.
The competition was paused for just over 20 minutes. American Breezy Johnson took the gold.
Setback
Vonn's recovery has been dramatic. Her Olympic dream seemed to be in tatters after her crash in the final downhill race before the Olympics, in Crans-Montana, just over a week ago.
Afterwards, it was determined that a cruciate ligament in Vonn's left knee was torn. Despite this, she chose to compete in the Olympics - a decision that was ruled out by medical experts.
"A misstep can have significantly greater consequences than for someone with an intact cruciate ligament," wrote Matilda Lundblad, sports physician and researcher, in a text message to TT this week.
Lindsey Vonn's career has been as successful as it has been plagued by injuries. She retired in 2019 but made a comeback last season after knee surgery.
Born: November 18, 1984, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA.
Championship achievements: Olympic gold in downhill in 2010, World Cup titles in downhill and in super-G in 2009, two Olympic bronzes, three World Cup silvers, three World Cup bronzes.
Alpine World Cup victories: 84.
Current: Crashed in the Olympic downhill race in Cortina after starting with a torn cruciate ligament in one knee.
