Olympic Athlete Lindsey Vonn's Stunning Transformation

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Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn is one of the most celebrated athletes of the 21st century. The gold medalist spent nearly two decades competing on the slopes and has cemented herself as a well-recognized American athlete. She has made history with more than 80 World Cup wins, and remains the only woman from America to ever win gold for a downhill ski race at the Olympics. And by establishing herself as one of the best competitors in the country, if not the world, Vonn has evolved into a multi-hyphenate. In addition to dominating the athletic world, she has become an author, philanthropist, and more. 

Vonn is now in her early 40s and maintains a stunning appearance. Her strong figure shows off her lengthy athletic career, while her blond hair always looks perfect, whether quaffed for an industry event or pulled back in a sleek ponytail during her fitness regimen. Her skin always dons a dewey glow, proving that the athlete clearly knows and embraces everything your skincare routine needs if you're over 40. 

Overall, Vonn has had quite the eventful life, and she refuses to slow down. She's set to compete in the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, which will be her first Olympics since 2018. All eyes are on her big return to the slopes, so we're taking a look back on everything that led her to this moment. 

Lindsey Vonn (née Kildow) was born in Minnesota in 1984. Her father had experience skiing, and in turn, he had his daughter start to ski when she was just 3 years old. Vonn began ski racing competitively at age 6 and had her sights set on success early on. "I said I wanted to be the greatest skier of all time," Vonn admitted about her younger self on the "In Depth With Graham Bensinger" podcast in 2020. At 9 years old, Vonn came out on top at the North American junior championships and became the first girl from America to win a world junior championship in Italy. 

Soon, her parents decided it was time to move her and her four younger siblings to Colorado so Vonn could get the best training possible without having to leave her family. "My dad had the idea to go to Vail," she recalled to Bensinger. "It was the best ski racing program in the country." Her training paid off, as she continued to achieve greatness at races in the U.S. and abroad alike. Vonn competed at the World Cup for the first time in 2000 at only 16 years old, and it wouldn't be long before she would make Olympics history.   

The 2000s were monumental for Lindsey Vonn. At just 17 years old, Lindsey competed in her first Olympics in 2002 in Salt Lake City. She was the youngest member on the team and came out of the gate victorious by placing in the top six skiers that year. Her success continued in 2004 when she won her first World Cup medal. Three years later, Lindsey found time to get married to fellow skier Thomas Vonn before jumping right back onto her skis. 

Lindsey continued her impressive performance and made history by winning the World Cup three years in a row. Her 2010 win was especially impressive, as she sustained an arm injury a few weeks prior and raced with her arm in a brace. She still managed to win, and she went on to compete in the Olympics that same year, taking home a gold medal. 

Since Lindsey's mindset was fully dedicated to her skiing career, she kept her style rather tame when attending red-carpet events. Her formal wardrobe mainly consisted of classic silhouettes, typically simple sheath or empire dresses. She often balanced the contrast between her skiing uniforms and evening dresses by elevating athleisure in ways that looked effortless.

Lindsey Vonn's frequent and historic wins transformed the athlete into a public figure, being seen more and more off the ice and making her private life interesting to the masses. She separated from Thomas Vonn in 2011, but that didn't keep her down for long. Lindsey began dating golfer Tiger Woods in 2013, and the pair attended events together and supported each other at their respective competitions. 

During this time, Lindsey regularly wore comfortable blouses and minimal makeup in the streets. She began to shift toward A-line silhouettes when walking red carpets and relied on a soft, neutral color palette. Her minimal makeup look allowed her eyes to sparkle and her hair to look tasteful whether curled in tied back. Around the time that Lindsey's relationship with Woods ended in 2015, she started to become more experimental with her fashion. She stunned by touting prints rather than solid colors and choosing dresses with edgy cutouts. 

In 2016, Lindsey released a New York Times bestseller, "Strong Is the New Beautiful," and she also remained a frontrunner in the world of skiing, though she sadly sustained a number of injuries that were taking longer to bounce back from. These injuries would ultimately lead to her departing from the sport she'd dominated for years.

Lindsey Vonn made the melancholy announcement that she was officially retiring from skiing in 2019. She explained in an Instagram post that her decision was the result of health problems and injuries. She'd undergone surgeries for knee injuries, but the damage to her body was still too great and painful, causing her to withdraw from the sport. "My body is broken beyond repair and it isn't letting me have the final season I dreamed of," Vonn wrote. "My body is screaming at me to STOP and it's time for me to listen." Still, she claimed a bronze medal in her last race. That same year, Vonn was the subject of an HBO documentary, "Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season."

After leaving the slopes, Vonn kept herself busy by focusing on her personal life and working out to strengthen her body. She spent time with family and got engaged to hockey player P.K. Subban in the summer of 2019. Vonn went on to host a reality series for Amazon Prime Video called "The Pack" in 2020. Unfortunately, Vonn announced in late 2020 that she and Subban had amicably ended their engagement. The following year, she began dating entrepreneur Diego Osorio in 2021, whom she'd go on to date until 2025. Oh, and in the middle of all of this, she released a memoir called "Rise: My Story" in 2022.

That Lindsey Vonn missed her days on the slopes was evident, as she'd been seen skiing on social media for her own enjoyment. However, it wasn't until 2024 that Vonn shocked the world by officially announcing that she was returning to doing it competitively. Naturally, Vonn picked her winning streak back up quickly. In 2025, Vonn became the oldest woman skier to claim victory at a World Cup at age 40. She's proof that age is just a number and living your dream doesn't stop once you reach a certain point in life. Vonn has managed to balance her endorsements and speaking engagements with her return to the slopes and is currently training for the 2026 Winter Olympics, which will be held in Italy.

Outside of competing, Vonn has upped her style game and become more of a fashionista. She's appeared at sports events and awards shows in bold designer outfits that show off her toned figure. It's too bad that her revealing outfit at the 2025 ESPY awards landed her on our worst-dressed list, but she definitely had heads turning with her high slit that exposed her killer legs. Vonn has proven how versatile she is when it comes to clothing, leaving behind activewear in favor of stunning gowns on red carpets. Nowadays, she doesn't shy away from color or high-end fabrics, and loves wearing high heels when off of her skis.