Lindsey Vonn ditches crutches at Met Gala 2026 for first red carpet since devastating Olympics crash

Lindsey Vonn made a astonishing quality astatine this year’s Met Gala – marking her first reddish carpet arena since suffering a devastating crash astatine nan 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

The Alpine skiing legend, 41, took connected nan celebrated Met steps sans crutches successful a floor-length body-hugging gown.

The dress appeared to characteristic a one-shoulder neckline arsenic her near half was covered successful achromatic cloth pinch a steaming achromatic and metallic designs drawn from apical to bottom. Her feet were covered pinch a achromatic tulle mermaid skirt.

The Olympian’s correct broadside was covered pinch a sheer cloth that led each nan measurement down to her wrist.

Her outfit leaned heavy into this year’s “Fashion is Art” dress code and “Costume Art” accumulation theme, which some examined “the centrality of nan dressed body.”

Vogue explained backmost successful February that nan Met’s 2026 dress codification encouraged “attendees to see nan galore ways that designers usage nan assemblage arsenic their blank canvas.”

Curator Andrew Bolton, meanwhile, noted that “what connects each curatorial section and what connects each azygous assemblage successful nan depository is fashion, aliases nan dressed body.”

“Rather than prioritizing fashion’s visuality, which often comes astatine nan disbursal of nan corporeal, ‘Costume Art’ privileges its materiality and nan indivisible relationship betwixt our bodies and nan apparel we wear,” he added successful a release.

This marked Vonn’s 3rd clip attending fashion’s biggest night.

The Olympian antecedently walked nan Metropolitan Museum of Art’s iconic expansive staircase successful 2010. She past returned in 2013 pinch Tiger Woods, whom she was making love astatine nan time.

Vonn wore a sleeveless, floor-length achromatic gown featuring sheer panels for her Met Gala reddish carpet quality 13 years ago, while Woods sported a classical achromatic tuxedo pinch a achromatic dress garment and a bladed achromatic necktie.

The three-time Olympic medalist posed pinch her room bandages from her clang connected afloat show for nan screen of Vanity Fair earlier this year.

“I was number 1 successful nan world, and perchance connected my measurement to an Olympic medal,” Vonn told nan outlet for its May 2026 screen story. “Now I’m successful a wheelchair.”

“It took everything I had for it to not thrust maine insane,” she added.

Vonn was 13 seconds into her downhill tally connected Feb. 8 erstwhile her limb caught a gate, and she was sent hurtling down nan course.

The skiing icon shattered her tibia, fibula and ankle during nan scary incident and was airlifted disconnected nan upland by helicopter.

Despite undergoing 5 surgeries, Vonn still nearly mislaid her near leg owed to nan severity of her injuries.

“I don’t want group to bent connected this clang and beryllium remembered for that,” Vonn told Vanity Fair amid her agelong recovery. “What I did earlier nan Olympics has ne'er been done before.”