Lindsey Vonn Crashes at Worlds; Airlifted to Hospital - Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks

Two-time world champ Lindsey Vonn has been flown to a hospital after suffering a serious crash on the opening day of the Alpine World Championships in Schladming, Austria during the super-G event.

Vonn lost her balance on a tough landing, lost her ski, and slid off course into a gate before finally coming to a stop. She was checked out by a doctor on the hill for more than ten minutes, and then taken to the hospital for further evaluation.

An FIS official said the doctor reported her injury as cruciate and lateral tears in her right knee. Not a tibia fracture, as originally reported.

In an article Vonn wrote Monday for the Denver Post, she said that the course had been closed to all skiers and coaches because of snow conditions, and that no one on her team had been able to evaluate the course as of Monday:

"We were here last year for the World Cup finals, so I feel like I know the hill pretty well, but it always feels a little awkward when you don't get a chance to free ski the hill before you race. It's tricky to know the terrain when all you have to go on is course inspection the morning of the race."

The Vancouver gold medalist was trailing World Cup points leader Tina Maze of Slovenia by only 0.12 seconds before the crash. The race had been postponed for about three-and-a-half hours earlier in the day, due to fog, and continued after a fifteen minute delay.