Lindsey Vonn has made her relationship with fellow alpine skier Matthieu Bailet Instagram official, sharing a series of intimate vacation photographs that gave fans their clearest public look yet at the new couple.
The Olympic skiing champion unveiled the relationship Wednesday in an Instagram carousel featuring several photos from what appeared to be a tropical getaway. In the images, Vonn and Bailet are seen enjoying time together by the water, including a kiss in a pool overlooking the sea and a relaxed moment together in the ocean.
Vonn, 41, wore a white bikini in one of the pool photographs, while Bailet, 30, appeared in light-colored swim shorts. In another image, the French skier stood behind Vonn on a rock in the ocean, holding her as they posed for the camera. A final photograph showed the pair relaxing together over the water.
The post was captioned, “About that time for a summer recap… pt 1,” prompting an immediate response from friends, fellow athletes and followers.
Bailet himself joined the conversation in the comments, joking, “Can’t wait to see the summer recap part 2,” accompanied by a kissing emoji. Olympic rugby star Ilona Maher also reacted to the photographs, writing, “The award for the hottest couple goes to…”
Tennis star Sloane Stephens was similarly enthusiastic, describing the post as a “HARD LAUNCH!!!!!!!” Another follower congratulated the pair and wished them well.
The reaction reflected the significance of the post: although Vonn and Bailet had already been linked publicly, this was the first unmistakable social-media confirmation of their romance from Vonn herself.
From private sightings to a public relationship
Vonn and Bailet were first linked in May, when they were reportedly seen spending time together in New York City. Their relationship had therefore been the subject of attention for several months before Vonn’s vacation post provided a much more direct glimpse into their personal lives.
The new couple also share an unusual professional connection. Both are accomplished alpine skiers, meaning their relationship has developed between two people who understand the demands of elite international competition.
Bailet is a French alpine skier who competed at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. According to the original report by HELLO!, he made his World Cup debut in Switzerland in 2016.
For Vonn, the connection to another skier comes at a particularly notable stage of her life and career. Her professional history has made her one of the most recognizable figures in alpine skiing, while her public profile has extended well beyond the sport through television appearances, fashion and business ventures.
That shared sporting background also gives the relationship a different context from some of Vonn’s previous high-profile romances. Bailet is familiar with the travel, training schedules and physical demands that accompany professional skiing, experiences that have been central to Vonn’s own life for decades.
A new chapter after her split from Diego Osorio
The Instagram reveal comes after Vonn’s four-year relationship with businessman Diego Osorio, which lasted from 2021 until 2025.
Following that breakup, Vonn spoke publicly about adjusting to single life. In comments to People reported earlier this year, she acknowledged that Valentine’s Day would be different following the separation and joked that her two dogs would serve as her dates.
The comment offered a glimpse into how Vonn was approaching life after the relationship ended, but her latest social-media post marks a clear change in that chapter.
Rather than simply being photographed alongside a new companion, Vonn chose to share multiple affectionate images with Bailet herself. The post included physical affection and playful interaction, making the nature of their relationship unmistakable.
The progression from reports of the pair spending time together in New York to Vonn’s public vacation post also illustrates how celebrity relationships can move from speculation to confirmation through social media rather than through a formal announcement.
Neither Vonn nor Bailet has released a lengthy statement about the relationship. Instead, the photographs and their exchanges in the comments have served as the public introduction.
Vonn’s life in the spotlight
Romantic relationships have been part of the public conversation surrounding Vonn throughout much of her adult life, in part because of her international profile as an athlete.
Before Osorio, she was in a relationship with former NHL player P.K. Subban from 2017 to 2020. She previously dated former Los Angeles Rams coach Kenan Smith from 2016 to 2017.
Her most internationally scrutinized relationship was with professional golfer Tiger Woods, whom she dated from 2013 to 2015. Woods publicly confirmed their relationship in March 2013, saying they had known each other as friends before becoming romantically involved.
At the time, the couple emphasized their desire to maintain some privacy while continuing their professional careers. Woods said they wanted to continue their relationship privately and live as an ordinary couple while competing as athletes.
Vonn’s relationship history also includes her marriage to fellow professional skier Thomas Vonn. The couple married in 2007 and divorced in 2011.
Reflecting on that marriage during the divorce, Vonn told The New York Times that she was thankful for the years they had shared and described the period as difficult. She also emphasized her confidence in her ability to succeed independently.
That perspective has remained relevant to Vonn’s public story as she has navigated major personal and professional transitions over the years.
Two skiers with very different career journeys
Vonn and Bailet’s shared profession is particularly notable because Vonn’s competitive career established her as one of the defining American alpine skiers of her generation.
Her career has also included significant physical setbacks. In recent years, Vonn has spoken openly about the difficult recovery process associated with injuries and the broader challenges of continuing to pursue elite sport.
In one previously reported reflection, Vonn acknowledged that doing what she loved did not necessarily make the road easy. She described her life as demanding and at times lonely while also expressing gratitude for the opportunity to continue pursuing her passion.
That history provides important context for her current life. Vonn’s public identity has never been limited to competition results; her career has also been shaped by the physical demands of skiing, recovery from injuries and the challenge of remaining connected to the sport after major setbacks.
Bailet, meanwhile, has built his own career on the international alpine circuit. His participation in the 2022 Winter Olympics and World Cup experience place him within the same elite sporting environment that has defined much of Vonn’s life.
Their professional overlap therefore offers a natural point of connection, although neither has publicly detailed how their relationship developed.
What the vacation post reveals
For celebrity couples, an Instagram post can function as an announcement without taking the form of one.
That appears to be what happened with Vonn and Bailet. There was no lengthy statement accompanying the images and no formal declaration beyond the affectionate photographs themselves. Yet the combination of the pictures, Vonn’s caption and Bailet’s response left little ambiguity about their relationship.
The public reaction also came largely from within Vonn’s wider sporting and celebrity circles. Maher’s comment and Stephens’ enthusiastic response added to the sense that people close to the athlete were celebrating the relationship alongside her followers.
The vacation setting gave the post a distinctly personal quality as well. Instead of focusing on professional appearances, sporting achievements or public events, the images presented Vonn and Bailet simply enjoying time together.
That distinction is significant for an athlete whose career has involved years of intense public scrutiny. The photographs offered a glimpse of Vonn away from competition and into a more relaxed part of her life.
For now, Vonn’s “summer recap” remains only the first installment. Her own “pt 1” caption has already prompted Bailet to joke about a second part, leaving the possibility of more vacation photographs without confirming what they might contain.
What is clear is that the relationship has moved beyond the stage of being quietly observed or reported by others. With her latest Instagram post, Lindsey Vonn chose to introduce Matthieu Bailet to her audience on her own terms, turning months of speculation into a public celebration of a new relationship.
The original report was published by HELLO!, with the article by Faye James. Additional relationship-history details cited in the report draw on previous coverage from People and The New York Times.
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Source: Owink
