Alpine skiing rivals have paid credit to skiing "icon" Lindsey Vonn after the 41-year-old's horror crash at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday.
Vonn, competing just nine days after she ruptured her ACL at the Crans Montana World Cup in Switzerland, crashed heavily on the opening section of the Trofane course and had to be flown to hospital.
It was later revealed she had broken her leg and was being "treated by a multidisciplinary team" and "underwent an orthopaedic operation to stabilise a fracture reported in her left leg," according to the Ca' Foncello hospital.
The US Ski Team said Vonn was "in stable condition and in good hands".
The 41-year-old American had made a comeback this season from six years out of the sport after having a partial knee replacement in her right leg.
It had been a huge success too, with Vonn winning three World Cup events and standing on the podium a total of seven times across downhill and Super G events.
The 2010 Olympic downhill champion was ranked number one in the World Cup downhill standings coming into the Olympics and third in Super G, giving rise to hopes that she could add to her three Olympic medals 24 years after her debut in Salt Lake City.
Vonn set the third-fastest time in the final downhill training session on Saturday.
Given her injury though, her final Olympics always had the potential to turn into a nightmare, the fairytale comeback ending in tears on the mountainside.
Gold medallist Breezy Johnson, also of the USA, said she hoped Vonn would be able to compete again.
"I don't claim to know what she's going through but I do know what it's like to be here, to be fighting for the Olympics and to have this course burn you and to watch those dreams die," Johnson said.
"I can't imagine the pain she's going through, and it's not the physical pain.
"We can deal with the physical pain, but the emotional pain is something else.
"I wish her the best and I hope this isn't the end."
Fourth-placed finisher American Jacqueline Wiles said it was "awful" to see Vonn crash.
"We have such a sisterhood. We travel with each other on the road. We're a family.," she said.
"To watch someone that you care about so much, it sucks. My heart broke for her in that moment, but that is the inherent risk of the sport.
"We all know what can happen, and we all have a lot of love and respect for each other because of the inherent risk."
The third American in the field, Bella Wright, said she just wanted to support Vonn.
"We're here to support her," Wright said.
"Regardless [of what happened], she showed that she could do a lot of things that other people can't.
"It was really heartbreaking. Jackie [Wiles] and myself were up top, so we saw it live. You don't want that for anyone, and you especially don't want it for your teammate.
"Lindsey, she deserved a better ending than that, so I'm very heartbroken for her.
"I always say this, 'If anyone can do it, it's Lindsey'. Whatever it is, or whatever the situation, she's very strong. We're going to support her the best we can."
Norway's Kajsa Vickhoff Lie, who finished seventh, said she looked up to Vonn as an icon.
"She's crazy. For her, it's all or nothing. It's a huge inspiration, and to see what you can do with your body and with your mind," Lie said.
"I don't think anyone could do what Lindsey has been doing now. I mean, I am 27 years old, and maybe I could do it, but if I was 41 years old and felt like that, I really don't think so.
"She has been my idol since I started watching ski racing."
Lie, a two-time world championship bronze medallist in Super G, said Vonn simply overcooked the top of the course.
"It is a critical section [where Vonn crashed], because it's in the beginning, and you really need a lot of speed coming out of it. It's super flat after it, so the goal is to be as close to that gate as possible," she said.
"She really nailed the turn, but she was too close to it, so she was hooked into it. But that's how it is with the Olympics — you really want to be at the limit, and she was a little bit over the limit."
Lie said having the opportunity to compete with Vonn was incredible and added that despite Vonn's injury, she would not be surprised to see her on the World Cup start list later in the year.
"I'm really happy she came back so I can compete with her at least one more year, and learn from her as much as possible," Lie said.
"I'm crossing my fingers for her, and I hope to see her back.
"We still have a World Cup to do after the Olympics, and I don't know if we will see her [again] in the Olympics. I wouldn't be surprised if she suddenly shows up at the start gate.
"But the crash didn't look good."
President of the FIS Johan Eliasch said the crash was "tragic" but normal for ski racing.
"I can only say thank you for what she has done for our sport, because this race has been the talk of the Games and it's put our sport in the best possible light," he said.
"I hope she will have a speedy recovery and be back on skis very soon."
He said that Vonn was taken to hospital but had no details of her condition.
When asked about whether she shouldn't have competed without her ACL, he said there was no way she wouldn't have competed.
"They don't know Lindsey. That's all I can say," he said.
