5 Astounding Photos of Olympian Lindsey Vonn in Bodypaint

The four-time Olympic athlete was featured in the 2016 SI Swimsuit Issue in painted-on swimwear.

Lindsey Vonn was photographed by Frederic Pinet in Petit Saint Vincent. / Frederic Pinet/Sports Illustrated

Though she’s known for her career as an alpine ski racer, Lindsey Vonn is also a three-time SI Swimsuit model. The 39-year-old athlete was first photographed for the brand in 2010 in Whistler, Canada, ahead of the Vancouver Olympics, where she earned both a bronze and silver medal.

Vonn returned to the fold for her second feature in the 2016 SI Swimsuit Issue, when she donned nothing but bodypaint for a photo shoot in Petit Saint Vincent. The four-time Olympian most recently posed for the magazine in 2019, when she was photographed by Walter Chin in Puerto Vallarta.

Last year, we caught up with Vonn, who reflected upon her trio of SI Swimsuit features over the years, and noted that she was “pretty nervous” the first time she stepped on set with the brand. However, her confidence in her abilities—and her comfortability in her own skin—grew over the years.

“In some ways, it boosted my confidence and made me feel that having a strong and athletic body was not just O.K. but something to be proud of and celebrated,” Vonn stated. “Each issue I was in, I was more and more confident, and it’s amazing to see that transformation in the pictures and in myself.”

In addition to her success as an athlete, Vonn is also a New York Times best-selling author and founder of the Lindsey Vonn Foundation. In honor of her continued prowess across industries, we’re throwing it back to a few of our favorite photos from her bodypaint feature.

Frederic Pinet/Sports Illustrated

Frederic Pinet/Sports Illustrated

Frederic Pinet/Sports Illustrated

Frederic Pinet/Sports Illustrated

Frederic Pinet/Sports Illustrated