The USA did not have a good day on the slopes on Wednesday.
American fan favorite Lindsey Vonn crashed during the first run of the Olympic giant slalom race and broke her right pinkie, which may have indirectly led to Julia Mancuso's disappointing 18th-place first run in the event.
The second run of the giant slalom was postponed later Wednesday due to severe fog which made it tough for the skiers to see the course.
It is uncertain at this time whether or not Vonn will ski in her final event later this week, according to The Associated Press.
In the middle section of the course Wednesday, Vonn lost control and crashed, landing on her left hip.
"The course is breaking up at the bottom," Vonn told the AP. "I got a little bit too inside and lost my outside ski. My knee came up and hit my chin. … I don't know honestly how I hurt my hand."
Meanwhile, Mancuso, who started right behind Vonn, was already on course when Vonn crashed — and after getting off to a good start, Mancuso was flagged as a safety precaution and was forced to restart, according to Yahoo Sports.
Mancuso was then moved back to the end of the start list and therefore had to deal with poor course conditions that worsen as the race goes on. She finished 18th, likely landing her out of contention for a medal, and she broke into tears at the finish line.
Dr. Jim Moeller told the AP that Vonn suffered a non-displaced fracture of the proximal phalanx of her right pinkie. Before she crashed, Vonn was 0.35 second ahead of the pace set by first-run leader Elisabeth Goergl.
"I was hoping for something [on Wednesday]," Vonn said. "I was charging, I was skiing hard. I'm disappointed in myself now that I made that mistake. I can only keep smiling. I know I was skiing well."
Adding to her disappointment was the impact her spill had on Mancuso.
"She's mad, she's frustrated, she's probably mad at me," Vonn said. "I feel terrible, and I hope she understands. I definitely didn't want that to happen."
