Lindsey Vonn crashes in World Championship super-G as Mikaela Shiffrin wins

American Lindsey Vonn crashed out of the penultimate race of her career in the super-G at the World Championships.

Vonn, 34, will retire after the championships in Are, Sweden, ending a career spanning 19 seasons and including Olympic gold in 2010.

In her super-G run she went down hard after clipping a fence and required medical attention after crashing.

She regained her poise to gently complete the course and is set to compete in the downhill this week.

'It's not worth ruining my body'

Olympic Giant Slalom champion Mikaela Shiffrin won the super-G event but was shown on the big screen with her head in her hands when her compatriot crashed out.

Vonn, who has persistently battled knee injuries, has 82 World Cup wins and is intent on retiring despite being close to the record of 86, held by Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark.

"If it was one more World Cup win that I needed maybe I'd keep going but at this point I don't think I can ski the way I need to win races and for me it's not worth ruining my body for five more wins," she told Eurosport.

"The reason I decided to retire is because I can't ski the way I want to ski anymore," she said. "To consistently train and race, my knees are just not able to handle it.

"My right knee because of the cartilage I had taken out in the spring, and then my left knee I have no LCL (lateral collateral ligament) and I'm wearing two braces.

"I can't train, I can barely do anything on the mountain. So it's a tough decision to be in. But I'm thinking I'm making a smart decision for my future."