Celebrating Lindsey Vonn’s Birthday With a Look Back at Her Best SI Swimsuit Photos

Happy birthday to alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn! The Olympic athlete turns 42 today, Sunday, Oct. 18. And in honor of the entrepreneur and best-selling author’s special day, we’re taking a look back at some of her most magical SI Swimsuit moments over the years.

Vonn made her brand debut back in 2010, when she traveled to Whistler, Canada, to be photographed by Warwick Saint. While the professional athlete made her Olympic debut during the Salt Lake City games in 2002, she competed in her third Winter Games in 2010, where she won both a gold and bronze medal. Six years later, Vonn returned to SI Swimsuit for the second time and took part in a bodypaint feature in Petit Saint Vincent. Her most recent SI Swimsuit photo shoot occurred in 2019, when Vonn traveled to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to pose for visual artist Walter Chin.

Throughout her incredible career, the Minnesota native has secured three Olympic medals and 84 World Cup wins. She became the first woman to ski the downhill course in Streif in Kitzbühel, Austria in 2023, as well as the first person to ever take on the course at night.

Despite her many achievements, this year has been a tough one for Vonn. She crashed just seconds into her run during the Milan Cortina Games on Sunday, Feb. 8, which resulted in a complex tibia fracture. Countless surgeries and a near amputation followed before the professional athlete began her long road to recovery. The last several months have required plenty of rehab, and Vonn has kept her fans up-to-date with her journey every step of the way on social media. In July, she shared a major milestone: executing a barbell squat in the gym, when not long before she struggled to merely pull herself up out of her wheelchair.

These days, Vonn is still recovering, but thriving. She has even spoken out about the potential of getting back out on the slopes again professionally. On an episode of fellow professional athlete Maria Sharapova’s podcast, Pretty Tough, in August, she revealed that she will reassess the situation in the spring once she’s had a chance to fully heal—both physically and mentally. Vonn is slated to have another surgery next month, which should be her last.

“Once I’m back from that, then I feel like I’ll be able to, like, do a mental, physical wellness check and just see where I am,” Vonn stated.

Below, we’re throwing it back to just a few of our favorite SI Swimsuit photos of Vonn in honor of her special day.

Lindsey Vonn was photographed by Walter Chin in Puerto Vallarta. Swimsuit by Lybethras. | Walter Chin/Sports Illustrated

Lindsey Vonn was photographed by Walter Chin in Puerto Vallarta. Swimsuit by Monica Hansen Beachwear. | Walter Chin/Sports Illustrated

Lindsey Vonn was photographed by Walter Chin in Puerto Vallarta. Swimsuit by FAE Swim. | Walter Chin/Sports Illustrated

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