Lindsey Vonn's remarkable Olympic comeback ended in heartbreak Sunday when the 41-year-old American crashed during the downhill event in Cortina d'Ampezzo. Racing on a torn ACL in her left knee, Vonn lost control after cutting the line too tight on the opening traverse, sending her spinning through the air. Medical personnel rushed to the scene as she screamed in pain, and a helicopter transported her off the mountain after just 13 seconds on course.

Vonn's teammate Breezy Johnson won the event, becoming only the second American woman to claim Olympic downhill gold alongside Vonn. The crash came nine days after Vonn suffered the knee injury in Switzerland, yet she had insisted on competing, hoping to add to her 2010 Vancouver gold medal. Her father Alan Kildow watched in anguish from the stands as his daughter's storied career potentially reached its dramatic conclusion.

The four-time overall World Cup champion had stunned the skiing world by returning to elite competition last season after nearly six years away. Despite a partial titanium knee replacement in her right knee and multiple injuries, Vonn led the World Cup downhill standings before her latest setback. Known as the 'queen of Cortina' with 12 World Cup wins on the course, Vonn had tested her knee in training runs before the fateful crash under clear, sunny conditions.

Fellow competitors expressed shock at the crash but admiration for Vonn's legacy. 'She has been my idol since I started watching ski racing,' said Norway's Kajsa Vickhoff Lie. Vonn's sister Karin Kildow said her sibling 'always goes 110 percent' in this dangerous sport, adding that the family would meet her at the hospital as she undergoes evaluation.

Quick Fact: Vonn won 12 World Cup races at Cortina d'Ampezzo, earning her 'queen of Cortina' nickname.