Before Lindsey Vonn entered the 2026 Winter Olympics, the 41-year-old skiing legend was experiencing something new. “I have never been single going into any Olympics in my life,” she said in January. She was excited for the change, but her comeback ended with a serious downhill crash in February. While Vonn was recovering, dating rumors began just three months later after she was spotted with French skier Matthieu Bailet in SoHo, New York City. And for months, Vonn kept fans guessing, but now, she has finally made their relationship official.
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On September 24, Vonn shared several photos of herself and Bailet on Instagram. In one of the photos, the couple stood together in a swimming pool, with Vonn wearing a white bikini and Bailet in light-colored swim shorts. Another showed the two kissing, while one more pic captured them standing together on a rock surrounded by the sea.
The couple also appeared to be enjoying a relaxed day together on a floating platform near the water. Both were dressed in swimwear as they soaked up the sun and enjoyed their time together. Vonn captioned the carousel, “About that time for a summer recap… pt 1❤️.” Bailet, who is 11 years younger than Vonn, was quickly responded to the post. He sweetly commented, “Can’t wait to see the summer recap part 2 😉😘.” He also reshared Vonn’s post on his Instagram Stories, adding Olivia Dean’s hit song “So Easy (To Fall in Love)” to the upload.
The Instagram reveal came months after the pair first sparked dating rumors in New York. On May 7, Vonn and Bailet were photographed together in SoHo. The two were seen walking around and shopping before later riding the subway together. At the time, neither skier had confirmed that they were dating. Just a few days later, on May 10, they were spotted together at the Broadway musical The Outsiders and even posed backstage with the cast. The appearances added more fuel to the growing romance rumors.
Vonn also appeared to tease the speculation herself. Around that time, she left a side-eye emoji, “👀,” under one of Bailet’s shirtless Instagram posts. On May 11, a source told PEOPLE that Vonn and Bailet were “getting to know each other.” Still, Vonn did not publicly confirm the relationship, leaving fans to wonder whether the two were actually a couple.
That mystery has now come to an end. Vonn’s hard launch quickly caught the attention of her fellow athletes. Four-time Olympian and former world No. 1 tennis star Caroline Wozniacki welcomed the reveal, writing, “Look at you insta official!! 🔥❤️ miss you!!” But Wozniacki was not the only athlete to react.
Olympians react as Lindsey Vonn reveals French ski racer boyfriend
Olympic rugby star Ilona Maher also joined the comments, “The award for the hottest couple goes to…” while 2016 Olympian Sloane Stephens kept it simple with, “HARD LAUNCH!!!!!” Three-time Olympian Alice Robinson also reacted, writing, “She’s glowwwingg ❤️❤️.”
This glow comes after a very different period in Vonn’s personal life. Before Bailet, her last publicly confirmed relationship was with Diego Osorio, the Mexican-American entrepreneur and founder of Lobos 1707. The two were first linked in May 2021 after meeting through mutual friends, and their relationship lasted nearly four years. They were often seen together at major sporting events, including the 2024 Paris Olympics.
By February 2025, however, Vonn was single again. She confirmed her split from Osorio to PEOPLE and also opened up about the difficult side of balancing her personal life with her skiing career. “I think with everything that’s going on in my life, I sometimes have to keep reminding myself that it’s a tough road, but I’m doing what I love to do and I’m very lucky to be able to do it. But it doesn’t mean that it’s easy, and doesn’t mean that it’s not lonely at times,” she said.
Now, after that difficult period, Vonn appears to have found someone to share this new chapter with. Another Olympic athlete, Naim Fenianos, playfully teased the skiing legend, commenting, “Careful Lindsey, first it’s Mathieu then it’s croissants, pain au chocolat and baguettes for breakfast every day 🇫🇷😂.”
Even fans were just as happy to see Vonn make the relationship public. One fan wrote, “You look great and make a good couple.😍” Another celebrated the romance, writing, “So happy Lindsey Vonn. Yes, love with a French skier. A girl on 🔥 So happy love, amour mon cherie. Caliente!!!! 🔥👏😍👏♥️❤️.”
The new relationship comes at a difficult point in Vonn’s skiing journey. During the Olympic downhill race in Cortina d’Ampezzo last winter, she suffered a hard fall while already dealing with a torn cruciate ligament and sustained a complicated fracture in her left leg. The injury has continued to affect her comeback plans. Earlier this month, Vonn revealed that she is facing another surgery.
She said, “I hope I can have this surgery in November. It will definitely be sometime this winter. And then it will take another nine months until I’ve fully recovered from it.” That timeline would put a possible return no earlier than the winter of 2027-28. Still, she has not completely closed the door on another comeback.