The crash, according to Ski Racing magazine, occurred at Copper Mountain, where the skier is rehabbing after a calamitous crash at the World Championships in Febuary in Austria required reconstructive surgery on her right knee. The extent of the injury is unclear and it is uncertain whether this is the same knee she hurt in February.
Tom Kelly, a spokesman for the U.S. ski team, told the Associated Press that she was taken to a hospital after being taken off the slope on a sled. “We have no reason to believe it’s anything significant right now,” he said.
Later, Vonn’s public relations manager said she had returned to her Vail home and will be evaluated by Dr. Bill Sterett, who repaired her leg in February. ‘‘We expect to have clarity on the situation in the next 24 hours,’’ Lewis Kay said (via the AP). He would not confirm to the Denver Post that she had injured her knee.
Vonn tore her anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments and sustained a tibial plateau fracture in the crash in February and has targeted a return to World Cup competition next week in Beaver Creek, Colo. Vonn, who is dating golfer Tiger Woods, has been working out in Colorado and hopes to ski in next February’s Sochi Olympics. She is a four-time overall World Cup champion.
