CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy: Lindsey Vonn crashed out of the Winter Olympics downhill on Sunday, brutally ending the American skiing great’s improbable dream of winning a medal despite competing with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.

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Vonn was just 13 seconds into her run in bright sunshine in Cortina d’Ampezzo when she lost control, twisted in the air and crumpled in the snow.

The 41-year-old’s cries of pain could be heard on the microphones as medical staff attended to the stricken skier on the piste.

Thousands of spectators at the bottom of the run fell silent as they watched the images of the crash on giant screens.