Karin and Laura Kildow, Lindsey’s younger sisters, clasped hands before their older sibling stepped into the starting gate for the Olympic women’s downhill event in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Sunday. Like the rest of the world, they waited to see if she could pull off the impossible: winning an Olympic medal—maybe even gold—at 41, after right knee replacement surgery and a left knee injury from a downhill crash just over a week prior. Let that sink in: a week ago.

This high-speed downhill—already the most esteemed race in skiing—had become a kind of Super Bowl stand-in at these Olympics. In the second row, Karin wore a black cowboy hat and Team USA jacket; Laura had on a blue USA beanie. Karin’s left hand gripped Laura’s right. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 

Their father, Alan Kildow, stood tall beside them. All knew the risks of this Olympic run, of Vonn’s drive to finish her comeback. Vonn also took deep breaths before launching out of the gate—but roughly 13 seconds into her race, her arm clipped a gate, sending her spinning and crashing hard down the course. Karin screamed in horror and bowed her head. Laura flinched and shut her eyes. Alan crossed his arms, stoic for a moment. Soon after, he reached under the left lens of his sunglasses, seeming to wipe away a tear, and bit his bottom lip. 

The venue fell unnervingly quiet, except for totally out-of-place dance music blaring from loudspeakers. Couldn’t someone turn that off? About half a dozen emergency workers tended to Vonn on the mountain. She appeared to clutch her left knee and screamed. Ten minutes later, a yellow helicopter flew over, and Vonn was airlifted off the course. The crowd waved as she was taken away.

As they left the venue, Karin and Laura paused to take photos and speak with Snoop Dogg—who was in Cortina as an NBC roving correspondent. Snoop wore a Vonn-themed shirt. Beneath the stands, Karin and Laura joined a small group for a hug. “I have to say Snoop Dogg really lifted my spirits,” Laura told TIME shortly after. “He said, ‘Stay strong for Lindsey.’ That’s helping me right now. It looked terrible, but I’m glad we’re all here together.” Karin referenced Teddy Roosevelt’s famous speech. “Those who dare greatly are worthy of admiration, and she dared greatly,” she told TIME through tears. “She dared so much. She put everything on the line.” In a statement, U.S. Ski and Snowboard said Vonn had “sustained an injury but is in stable condition and in good hands with a team of American and Italian physicians.”

For Vonn’s immediate family—her mother, Linda Anne Krohn, died of ALS in 2022—the bright, beautiful morning in Italy’s Dolomite Mountains began with immense hope. Vonn loved racing in Cortina, and the chance to end her Olympic career in this cherished place was a driving force behind her comeback. Before the race, Karin told TIME she’d felt nauseous for days, her worry making her cry. But she was calm now. 

When Vonn injured her knee at the final World Cup downhill before the Olympics, Karin had reminded her older sister she wasn’t obligated to compete. After all, her exceptional World Cup results this season—two wins, four more podiums—already solidified her as an all-time great. No one would blame her for skipping the Games to protect her health. 

“She said, ‘Never, ever say that to me again,’” Karin recounts.  

Alan did yoga and meditation the morning of the race, wanting to make a point in a pre-race chat with TIME. Living in Vail, Colo., he’d had many older people approach him lately, saying Vonn’s comeback inspired their own quests for athletic longevity—even recreationally. What she was doing transcended skiing.

Lindsey texted her father that morning: “I’ve got this.” 

After the crash, as Alan prepared to leave, he was asked to share thoughts. “Maybe later,” he said. “First, I need to check on my daughter.” 

“I think she’s pretty badly hurt.”