Talk about a comeback. Lindsey Vonn is the definition of a champion at the Met Gala tonight. The American alpine ski racer walked up the carpeted steps of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art tonight—no crutches necessry—making her first big appearance since her accident at the Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
The athlete looked stunning and in high spirits in a custom Thom Browne gown that looked like it was painted onto her body. The black-and-white design had an asymmetrical neckline and long sleeves with thumb holes. At the bottom, her skirt flared out into a fluffy little tutu.
White gold and diamond jewelry from Sidney Garber upped the glamour.
Vonn’s Olympic run ended in February, when she crashed and shattered her tibia, fibula, and ankle, on her way down the famous course of Olimpia delle Tofane. In March, she spoke to Vanity Fair about the incident and her state of mind following it.
“I was number one in the world, and potentially on my way to an Olympic medal,” Vonn said. “Now I’m in a wheelchair.”
Still, a fighter through and through, Vonn noted that she was focused on her recovery and looking to the future.
“I don’t like to close the door on anything, because you just never know what’s going to happen,” she said. “I have no idea what my life will be like in two years or three years or four years. I could have two kids by then. I could have no kids and want to race again. I could live in Europe. I could be doing anything.”
And look at her now.
Vonn is joined by a string of celebrated and stylish pro athletes at this year’s Met Gala, celebrating “Costume Art.” Serena Williams joined sister Venus Williams at the event for Venus’s debut as the gala’s co-chair. And on the carpet we saw everyone from WNBA star A’ja Wilson to tennis It girl Naomi Osaka to figure skater Alysa Liu.
