Sports
Lindsey Vonn situation sparks debate in Olympic skiing community
[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Feb 6, 2026; Cortina d’Ampezzo, ITALY; Lindsey Vonn of the United States in the finish area during women’s downhill training during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. Mandatory Credit: Leonhard Foeger/Reuters via Imagn Images CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — The question of whether Lindsey Vonn should have started the Olympic downhill race on Sunday has expanded beyond a single athlete or race, exposing a deeper tension at the core of elite sport: who decides when an injured competitor is fit to compete and what message that choice sends.
The 41-year-old American started the race at the Milan Cortina Games despite having ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee in a World Cup event in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana little more than a week ago.
With a brace on the knee, she set the third fastest time in training on Saturday but sustained a horrific crash on Sunday and was airlifted to hospital for surgery on a broken leg.
Vonn was determined to start the race, saying earlier this week: “we’ve been doing extensive therapy and consulting with doctors, been in the gym and today I went skiing. And considering how my knee feels, it feels stable, I feel strong.”
For former French national football and ski team doctor Jean-Pierre Paclet, the issue of athletes competing while injured blends medicine with ethics.
“Anterior cruciate ligament injuries are extremely common, both among elite athletes and the general public,” he said.
“You can tear it very easily. You don’t need an ACL in every skiing movement, which is why surgery is performed, but the real question concerns the athlete’s long-term future.”
Repeated trauma in sports such as skiing or football can lead to degenerative joint damage later in life, he added.
“Many athletes who continue for years do not have healthy joints when they are older. Does a doctor have the right to allow a career to continue if it risks severe degenerative lesions? That is a matter of sporting ethics.”
RETURN-TO-PLAY PROTOCOLS
Financial stakes and competitive pressure can cloud medical judgment, while knee prostheses have limited durability and repeated surgery becomes increasingly complex.
Paclet said clearer return-to-play protocols – similar to concussion rules in rugby – might help, although implementing them across sports would be difficult.
For now, responsibility rests primarily with national federations rather than the international governing body.
“FIS is made up of national ski associations, and those associations are responsible for taking care of their own athletes,” race director Peter Gerdol said.
“At the moment it remains the responsibility of each national ski association, or the National Olympic Committee, to decide whether an athlete is healthy enough to compete.”
Gerdol pointed out that 26-year-old Marte Monsen, who sustained knee and facial injuries in the same World Cup race in Switzerland where Vonn was hurt, was prevented from racing in Cortina on Sunday by the Norwegian federation.
“The Norwegian who crashed in Crans-Montana was here but at the end they decided not to let her start for safety reasons,” he said.
Neither the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) nor United States Ski and Snowboard responded to requests for comment on the question of athlete medical clearance to compete.
PERSONAL CHOICE
Among athletes, the balance between the importance of autonomy, risk and setting an example produces more nuanced views than the public debate often suggests.
Norway’s Kajsa Vickhoff Lie framed the issue less as prohibition than personal choice.
“Could I even attempt it? I don’t think anyone could do what she (Vonn) is doing now. I’m 27 years old – maybe I could try – but at 41, I really don’t think so,” she said.
“Everyone is evaluated by a doctor, but in the end it’s up to you. Nobody can tell you what to do – you ski for yourself. People can give you the facts, and then you decide what to do with them.”
French Olympic biathlon champion Lou Jeanmonnot described an instinctive admiration for Vonn that shifted toward caution.
“At first I thought, ‘That’s badass’ – she’s impressive, she has real aura,” she said.
“But in the end there’s nothing to be proud of either, because health must come before sport. As athletes, we shouldn’t send younger people the message that we can push through pain at the expense of our health.”
Italian skier Federica Brignone returned the debate to individual responsibility.
“It’s her choice. Her body is hers, and she decides what to do,” she said.
“Your body is yours and you decide. It’s always a choice whether you want to start or not. It doesn’t depend on others. It depends only on you.”
In Cortina, the discussion surrounding one start list decision has therefore come to reflect a broader unresolved question in modern sport – where the line between courage and risk is drawn, and who has the authority to draw it.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
David Coit takes over late as Maryland beats Minnesota
Feb 8, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Isaac Asuma (1) works around Maryland Terrapins guard George Turkson Jr. (11) during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images David Coit scored seven of his 29 points in the final 26 seconds as Maryland snapped a four-game losing streak, outlasting Minnesota 67-62 Sunday in Big Ten play at Minneapolis.
Andre Mills added 12 points and Darius Adams contributed 11 points as Maryland improved to 18-3 all-time against Minnesota.
Solomon Washington put up nine points and 10 rebounds for the Terrapins (9-14, 2-10 Big Ten), who had lost their previous four games by an average margin of 28 points.
After Cade Tyson hit two free throws with 53 seconds left to put Minnesota up 62-60, Coit scored the game’s final seven points.
The key play came with 26 seconds left when Coit drained a side-step 3-pointer to put the Terrapins up 63-62. Coit then added four free throws in the final 11 seconds.
“Coach got on me after the last game. He called me out. I was being selfish with my body language,” Coit said. “I had to respond.”
Coit made 9 of 13 shots from the floor, 4 of 7 from distance and hit all seven of his free throw attempts.
Isaac Asuma scored all 18 of his points from behind the arc to lead Minnesota (11-13, 4-9), which was coming off an upset of No. 10 Michigan State on Wednesday. The loss was the Golden Gophers’ eighth in their last nine games.
Tyson finished with 12 points and Langston Reynolds contributed 11 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Golden Gophers.
Midway through the first half, Mills made a 3-pointer which gave Maryland a 17-14 lead, before Asuma responded with consecutive triples to give Minnesota a lead that it held the rest of the period.
Two 3-pointers by Bobby Durkin pushed the Golden Gophers’ edge to 33-26. Coit answered with a 3-pointer and a driving three-point play to cut the deficit to 33-32 at the break.
Midway through the second half, two driving layups by Reynolds gave Minnesota the biggest lead of the second half, 53-47.
But Coit put the Terrapins on his back scoring 15 of his points in the final 8:41.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bam Adebayo, Heat rout Wizards to snap out of miniature skid
Feb 8, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) inks the ball against the Washington Wizards during the second quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images Bam Adebayo and Kasparas Jakucionis scored 22 points apiece to help the visiting Miami Heat breeze past the Washington Wizards for a 132-101 victory on Sunday afternoon.
Norman Powell added 21 points and Kel’el Ware had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Heat, who had dropped three of their previous four. Simone Fontecchio scored 12 and Andrew Wiggins had 11 points and 10 boards.
Tristan Vukcevic paced Washington with 14 points, while Justin Champagnie, Kyshawn George and Bub Carrington scored 13 each. Alex Sarr collected 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Wizards, who fell to a game ahead of the Indiana Pacers for last place in the Eastern Conference.
After leading by 22 at halftime, Miami extended the margin to 31 as Wiggins and Powell bookended an 8-0 run to give the Heat a 92-61 edge with 6:54 remaining in the third.
Jamir Watkins’ floater and six straight points from Vukcevic cut the Washington deficit to 22, forcing a Miami timeout with 3:35 left in the third.
From there, the Heat scored 10 straight to open up a 105-73 edge. Ware finished the third with a layup to send the visitors into the final quarter with a 107-75 lead.
Washington won the fourth quarter 26-25 to end the lopsided game.
Washington jumped out to a 20-11 lead on Bilal Coulibaly’s layup at the 7:21 mark.
Miami finished the opening quarter on a 14-2 run, with Jakucionis drilling a pair of triples in the final minute to give the Heat a 37-33 edge entering the second quarter.
Miami built its lead to double figures as Fontecchio’s trey began a 12-0 run, which was stamped with Adebayo’s 3-pointer to give the visitors a 58-39 lead.
George hit a pair of free throws to pull the Wizards within 15, but Adebayo’s layup began a 7-0 spurt to end the half, giving the Heat a 74-52 halftime advantage.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Two-time champ Damian Lillard to participate in 3-point contest
Dec 29, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) warms up before a game against the Dallas Mavericks at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images Rehabbing Portland Trail Blazers icon Damian Lillard will be part of the eight-man field competing in Saturday’s 3-point contest as part of All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.
Lillard won the competitions in 2023 in Salt Lake City and 2024 in Indianapolis. He is sitting out this season after sustaining a torn Achilles tendon in a playoff game with the Milwaukee Bucks last April.
Hall of Famer Larry Bird (1986-88) and Craig Hodges (1990-92) are the only three-time winners of the event.
Lillard ranks fifth in NBA history with 2,804 treys over 13 NBA seasons.
The others in the competition are Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), rookie Kon Knueppel (Charlotte Hornets), Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers), Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets), Bobby Portis Jr. (Milwaukee Bucks) and Norman Powell (Miami Heat).
Mitchell leads the NBA with 180 3-pointers, five ahead of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, who is not part of the festivities.
Knueppel ranks third with 174, Maxey stands fourth at 169 and Murray is ninth at 156. Knueppel can become the first rookie to capture the title.
Portis boasts the best 3-point accuracy (45.1%) of the group this season. He has converted 92 of 204 attempts.
–Field Level Media
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David Coit takes over late as Maryland beats Minnesota
