Picabo Street’s cherished gloves, Lindsey Vonn’s crash: A friendship under the Olympic spotlight

In the hours before a fateful Olympic downhill, Lindsey Vonn slipped on a sentimental gift from her childhood idol, Picabo Street: a vintage pair of Street’s own gloves. Moments later, Vonn’s run ended in a violent crash that left her with a broken left leg—and left Street in tears.

A keepsake passed from idol to friend

The gesture was quiet, personal, and powerful. Vonn had admired the distinctive, out-of-production gloves after seeing a photo—white leather weathered by years of use, the brand name arched across the knuckles, and a bold, plum-colored sun radiating from the backhand. Street’s initials, inked on the wrist straps, sealed their provenance. Street still treasures the design; the same sun motif appears on her bronze statue in Sun Valley, a detail she has long cherished.

She made sure Vonn had them before the Games. It was, Street explained, a simple way to say: I love you, I believe in you—wear these and have fun. The two first overlapped on the U.S. Ski Team as Street’s career wound down and Vonn’s began, and their bond has only deepened. Vonn later co-produced the documentary “Picabo,” an on-the-record tribute to the athlete she calls her hero.

A crash after 13 seconds—and an eerie pattern

Vonn pushed from the start gate on Sunday and skied for only about 13 seconds before tumbling hard, her left leg absorbing the brunt of the fall. The bib number and the stopwatch combined into a pattern that jolted Street. She has lived versions of this herself, breaking her own left leg late in her career during a race that fell on Friday the 13th in Crans Montana, the same Swiss venue where Vonn, years later, tore an anterior cruciate ligament in a separate incident. The repetitions were impossible for Street to ignore.

Street’s sleepless night and raw reaction

Street admitted she struggled the moment she saw Vonn’s bib draw. The number left her nauseated. Sleep didn’t come. She cried through the night and into the morning, unable to shake a sense of foreboding. She worked on-site for broadcast coverage at the starting gate, but the professional veneer couldn’t eclipse the personal worry. After the crash, concern turned to care: Street’s focus, she said, is squarely on Vonn’s recovery—on nerves and function, on simple mobility and quality of life, and on being healthy enough to chase joy beyond gates and finish lines.

That viewpoint reflects the depth of their relationship. The gloves weren’t the first item Street has shared with Vonn; equipment and wisdom have crossed between them for years. Sunday’s exchange, though, carried special meaning—and now, a complicated memory.

A bond that shaped a generation of U.S. skiing

The Street–Vonn connection spans eras: one athlete helped define American women’s speed events in the 1990s, the other pushed those boundaries into the 2000s and 2010s. Street has insisted she isn’t the story, even as her name and gear have resurfaced in the wake of Vonn’s crash. Still, their intertwined journeys are impossible to separate. Mentorship evolved into friendship, and symbolism—right down to a sun stitched on old leather—became fuel for Vonn’s own competitive fire.

In public and private moments alike, Vonn has reflected that influence. The “Picabo” documentary was one such expression, an acknowledgment of a path blazed and a torch willingly handed off. For Street, Sunday’s heartbreak doesn’t diminish that legacy; it underscores it. The sport can be brilliant and brutal in the same breath. What persists is the community and care athletes build around each other.

What comes next for Vonn

Details on a medical timeline will follow as evaluations continue, but the priority now is rest and rehabilitation. Street’s hopes are modest and meaningful: that the leg heals, that the nerves respond, that Vonn regains everyday function and the freedom to live fully—whether that’s returning to competitive form or simply enjoying life far from the red fence line.

On Sunday morning, the gloves represented belief. By afternoon, they became a reminder of resilience shared between two champions. However the season—and the recovery—unfolds, that bond endures.