By Julien Pretot
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 8 (Reuters) – The helicopter crew tasked with evacuating U.S. ski great Lindsey Vonn from the Olimpia delle Tofane piste described a technically demanding but smoothly executed rescue operation carried out under bright skies during Sunday’s Olympic downhill.
Vonn, 41, had surgery on a broken leg in an Italian hospital after her audacious bid to win Olympic downhill gold with a ruptured knee ligament ended in a horrific crash after 13 seconds earlier on Sunday.
A source told Reuters that she was being monitored in the intensive care unit where she could have more privacy, and stressed there was no threat to her life.
Annalisa Raffin, a winch technician from Pordenone, said the team were following the race when the emergency call arrived.
“As soon as we were activated, we left immediately — the pilot, myself, the technician and the doctor on board — and headed to the target area,” she told Reuters.
The recovery required the helicopter to remain at significant height while a prolonged winching manoeuvre was performed, making coordination between crew members critical.
“It’s all about coordinating movements and the helicopter’s positioning to reach the target in the most accurate way possible,” Raffin said.
“Once we reached the athlete, she was secured to the winch, recovered and transported back to the medical base.”
She added that the crew receives only coded information on severity during activation and is not informed of the patient’s medical condition.
Vonn was fully covered on a winch stretcher during the extraction to protect her against wind and cold air generated by the helicopter’s rotors.
OPTIMAL CONDITIONS
Pilot Roberto Cit of Belluno described the day as “truly special,” noting that clear, sunny conditions contrasted with disrupted training sessions on Saturday caused by difficult weather.
“Today’s conditions were optimal, and we worked very well together as a team,” he said, praising coordination with mountain rescue personnel, the onboard nurse and doctor and the winch technician during manoeuvres on the slope.
After Vonn spent a few hours at the Codivilla Putti Hospital in Cortina, the helicopter transported her directly to the Ca’ Foncello Hospital in Treviso.
“It’s about a 30-minute flight from the Cortina helipad to Treviso Hospital,” Cit said. “The flight went perfectly, without any issues.”
Despite the pressure of operating during a major Olympic event, the crew said training and teamwork ensured the mission proceeded calmly and efficiently.
“We stayed composed and carried out the operation as well as possible,” Cit said. “I believe the result was good.”
After racing got back under way, Andorra’s last starter Cande Moreno, 25, also crashed and was put on a stretcher as an air ambulance was called into action a second time.
Avincis, Europe’s largest provider of emergency air services, are handling rescue operations at the Winter Olympics.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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