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Citizen cane

Lindsey Vonn Walked With a Custom Cane at the 2026 Met Gala

The unexpected fashion statement completed her stylish look.

Roosa RahkonenReporter, The Looker

PublishedMay 4, 2026, 7:09 PM EDT

UpdatedMay 4, 2026, 7:23 PM EDT

Updated May 4, 2026, 7:23 PM EDTPublished May 4, 2026, 7:09 PM EDT

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Lindsey Vonn accessorized her Met Gala look with a custom cane.

Breaking her leg did not stop the three-time Olympic medalist alpine skier, 41, from walking the red carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Monday.

As Vonn entered the museum, she was leaning on a black cane with a silver crook handle.

The cane, custom-made by designer Thom Browne, was decorated with red, white, and black detail. It was a finishing touch to her one-shoulder white beaded mermaid dress with a tulle hem and silver details.

While walking the steps, she left the cane behind.

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This red carpet appearance came less than three months after Vonn crashed and broke her leg during the women’s downhill event in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Feb 8.

Vonn faced serious injuries and risked her leg being amputated due to compartment syndrome, but has since undergone eight surgeries and documented her healing journey online.

Before heading to the museum, Vonn shared behind-the-scenes footage of her getting ready on Instagram stories and an Instagram video.

In her stories, she filmed celebrity hairstylist Laura Polko placing blond extensions in her hair, and celebrity makeup artist Georgi Sandev bronzing her cheeks.

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In the video, Vonn is wearing a white robe, walking down a hotel hallway in full glam, leaning on her cane.

At one point, she grabs the cane by both hands and jokingly dances, kicking one leg in the air.

In the end, she leans the cane against a wall and slowly walks away from the camera, placing weight on both feet.

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“Practicing my Met walk!!! @thombrowne for the win with the custom cane!!” she wrote with a dancing emoji, singing the post with the hashtag #myfirststeps.

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In the comments, people were thrilled to see Vonn heading to the red carpet, calling Vonn inspirational and a hero, and saying her healing process has been “unbelievable”.

“You’ve got this! Cheering every single step!” one person wrote.

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Vonn, who won Olympic gold at the 2010 Vancouver Games, raced at the 2026 Winter Olympics after an almost eight-year hiatus.

She first announced her retirement in 2019, when she wrote on her Facebook page, “My body is screaming at me to STOP and it’s time for me to listen.”

In 2025, Vonn revealed her surprise comeback, and won her 83rd World Cup gold that same year in St. Moritz.

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Although her 2026 Olympic comeback did not go as she had hoped, Vonn told the Associated Press that she has not yet decided whether or not to continue her professional skiing career.

Roosa RahkonenReporter, The Looker

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