Live: Fans stunned into silence as US superstar Vonn crashes at Winter Olympics

Well, we’ve had a hot start to run three of the men’s luge in Cortina.

Competitors go top to bottom in run three, from leader to 25th.

First up again is Germany’s Max Langenhan, who came VERY close to hitting the wall out of the first turn, but quickly adjusted and flew down the course to smash his own track record with a 52.705 seconds, taking nearly two-tenths of a second off his own mark.

Austria’s Jonas Mueller did a fair time himself, stopping the clock on 52.837 seconds — good enough to beat the old track record by three quarters of a second, but still going backwards to trail Langenhan by 0.294 seconds.

Italy’s Domink Fischnaller, who took bronze in this event in Beijing, is in the same position after his third run. He is 0.542 behind Langenhan.

As Alex Ferlazzo is in position 19, we will have a bit to wait before the Aussie gets a chance to go.

We are closing in on day two action at the Cortina sliding centre, as Australia’s Alex Ferlazzo gets ready for run three of four in the men’s luge competition.

Ferlazzo is sitting in 19th out of 25 competitors. In his first run yesterday he clocked 54.013 seconds, before cracking the 54-second mark with a 53.999 in run two.

As a guide to where things stand, he has a little over two seconds to make up on leader Germany’s Max Langenhan, who finished in 52.902 in his second run after an opening 52.924.

The field begins run three at 3am AEDT.

The speed skaters are doing the rounds — well, technically the ovals — of Milano Speed Skating Stadium.

Yesterday we had the Women’s 3,000m with Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida — the great niece of actress Gina Lollobrigida — winning the gold medal.

Not sure we can top that family link in today’s event, but we could be on for another home win.

After five of the 10 heats so far, Riccardo Lorello (who came sixth in the Men’s 5,000m event at last year’s world titles), leads the way with a time of six minutes 9.22 seconds.

The man he beat in his heat, Norway’s Peder Kongshaug, is second with 6:11.31, while Dutch skater Stijn van de Bunt is in the bronze medal position for now with 6:12.94.

Switzerland has just notched a very impressive victory in the mixed doubles curling, downing the all-conquering Brits 7-6 in a Cortina classic.

Great Britain, of course, were perfect in the tournament before today, sitting top of the standings with seven wins from seven.

Team GB fought back from a 4-0 third end deficit to lead 6-5 at the conclusion of the seventh, but conceded two unanswered points in the eight to eventually lose 7-6.

It’s a victory that keeps the Swiss in finals contention, sitting in fifth with games against South Korea and Canada to come.

The other results are as follows:

• United States 5 – 3 Estonia
• Italy 8 – 2 Czechia
• Sweden 7 – 6 Canada

For those of you who have been following the mixed doubles curling, you will be well aware that Great Britain has been red hot so far in the Italian cold.

A 6-4 victory over the US yesterday made it seven wins from seven for the Brits, who sit three wins clear at the top of the ten-team round robin phase.

But there is a serious upset brewing in Cortina, with fifth placed Switzerland, in need of a victory to push towards the knockouts, currently 4-0 up against GB in the fourth end.

The second placed US is also up against it, down 2-1 against bottom side Estonia.

Italy is 5-1 up and running away with things against Czechia, while Sweden is leading Canada 3-2.

We’ll keep you in the know.

Czechia’s Zuzana Maderova has won gold in the women’s parallel giant slalom, beating Austria’s Sabine Payer, who took the silver.

Just beforehand, Italy’s Lucia Dalmasso was overcome with emotion after winning the bronze in her small final against countrywoman Elisa Caffont.

In the men’s, Austria’s Benjamin Karl claimed gold after beating South Korea’s Kim Sangkyum.

Karl, competing at 40, ripped his shirt off after finishing first. It looked like that one meant a lot.

Dramatically, Bulgaria’s Tervel Zamfirov took bronze over Slovenia’s Tim Mastnak in a photo finish. The first photo finish of the event.

American Breezy Johnston went into today’s women’s downhill event with “a good feeling”.

She is the reigning world champion and went in a heavy favourite.

“I sort of still can’t believe it yet, I don’t know when it will sink in yet,” she said after winning gold.

“I knew I had to push and go harder than I did in training. I had to be super clean and I felt like I did that.”

Johnston missed the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing after crashing on the same course and injuring her knee. She said her heart went out to countrywoman Lindsey Vonn, who had an awful crash.

“I hope it’s not as bad as it looked and I know how difficult it is to ski this course,” she said.

“And how sometimes, because you love this course so much, when you crash on it and it hurts you like that, it hurts that much worse.”

So kind! But I tell you what I can’t do, even attempt any of these winter sports.

Just in awe the entire Games – these sports are something else.

We’re currently about to watch the small and big finals of the men’s and women’s parallel giant slalom.

Lindsey Vonn’s horror crash was always on the cards, writes Simon Smale from Livigno.

But having no ACL was never going to stop her.

Read here:

Now our attention turns to the men’s and women’s parallel giant slalom in Livigno, where there are medals on offer and a shock early exit.

Czech star Ester Ledecka was piped at the finish line by Austria’s Sabine Payer in the quarterfinals.

Ledecka was the strong favourite and going for a historic three-peat. Was she to do it, she’d become the first snowboarder to win golds in three consecutive Olympics. Now, the gold really is up for grabs.

Germany’s Ramona Theresia Hofmeister, the bronze medallist from 2018, has just crashed out.

There were huge cheers for Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo as he crossed the line to claim gold in cross-country skiing men’s 10km + 10km skiathlon.

France’s Mathis Desloges won silver and Norway’s Martin Loewstroem Nyenget bronze.

Australia’s Seve de Campo and Hugo Hinckfuss finished 56th and 57th respectively.

Johannes Hoesflot was the expected favourite.

At last year’s FIS Nordic Ski World Championships, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo produced a clean sweep of gold medals, claiming all six world titles on offer.

That record feat made him the most decorated men’s skier at world championships level, with a total of 15 gold medals, passing countryman Petter Northug with 13.

Well, it’s been a dramatic event in Cortina with three crashes, including US superstar Lindsey Vonn needing to be helicoptered out.

But we now have our podium.

It’s American Breezy Johnson who will take the gold with a time of 1:36.10. The reigning world champion has claimed the US’s first gold this Games.

Germany’s Emma Aicher won silver and Italy’s Sofia Goggia bronze.

What a tough course that proved to be.

Lindsey Vonn’s sister, Karin Kildow, has said the crash was “definitely the last thing we wanted to see”.

“When that happens, you’re just immediately hoping she’s okay, and it was scary. When you start to see the stretchers being put out, it’s not a good sign,” Kildow told NBC.

“She dared greatly, and she put it all out there.”

Vonn remains under medical evaluation, Kildow confirmed. She said that the family have not heard anything beyond that.

ANOTHER crash in the women’s downhill skiing, and this one again looked nasty.

This time it was Cande Moreno from Andorra. She went down and it looked like potentially her left knee.

Commentator Jono Brauer, Australian Alpine skier and two-time Olympian, said on Nine’s broadcast: “This course is just teaching people a lesson if they’re not on top of it”.

There’s been quite a bit of drama already tonight and a handful of Aussies about to feature in the cross-country skiing. We’ll keep you across it all!

Grab a cuppa.

Cross-country skiing is getting underway with Aussies Seve de Campo, Hugo Hinckfuss and Lars Young Vik in the mix.

It’s the cross-country skiing men’s 10km + 10km skiathlon.

Meanwhile, we’re about to find who will take the gold in the women’s downhill skiing.

Nina Ortlieb from Austria has also crashed in the women’s downhill skiing and will be a DNF, along with Lindsey Vonn.

Fortunately Ortlieb’s pain looked mostly emotionally, as she was able to get herself off the track and looked disappointed with herself.

It’s been some tough racing today. American Breezy Johnson remains in the lead, followed by Germany’s Emma Aicher.

I am at the fan zone in Livigno where everyone was watching what they hoped would be the story of the Games transpire in front of their eyes.

As soon as Lindsey Vonn lost control there was a sharp intake of breath and arms were raised to observers heads and mouths.

The silence was deafening.

It was always a long shot.

It was always a risk.

But the scenes that we’re observing here are absolutely heartbreaking for Vonn.

It could still be the story of the Games that we’re seeing – it’s just not the one people were hoping to witness.

There is an eerie silence with just the sound of the helicopter in Cortina with shock and devastation taken hold of everyone at the women’s downhill skiing.

Lindsey Vonn had a massive crash and looked to be in a huge amount of pain. She’ll be lifted from the course with the helicopter just arriving.