American skier Lindsey Vonn has had surgery on a left-leg fracture after suffering heartbreak in what could be her final Olympic event as she crashed in the women’s downhill competition in Cortina.

The 41-year-old was competing just nine days after rupturing ligaments in her left knee, but hitting the gate with her ski pole on a first jump left Vonn off balance, denying a fairytale ending to a remarkable story.

Vonn was airlifted off the piste to Ca Foncello hospital in Treviso, around 130km from Olimpia delle Tofane in the Dolomites, following lengthy treatment.

Edited by Blanca Estrada

Words by Jes Anderson