Three-time Olympic medalist Lindsey Vonn is set to speak at USC Annenberg’s 2026 commencement ceremony.
Vonn is one of six women to have ever won World Cup races in all five disciplines of alpine skiing. She started skiing as a kid and competed in her first Olympic Games in 2002 at the age of 17. In total, she’s competed in five Olympic Games, most recently in Milano Cortina 2026, where she received international attention when she competed despite having a ruptured ACL.
On the second day of competition in Milan, Vonn suffered a crash that required her to be airlifted out and into multiple surgeries, prompting a long recovery process which she has extensively documented on her social media.
Prior to that, Vonn won Gold in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in the downhill skiing competition. She was the first American woman to have achieved that feat, followed only by Breezy Johnson in this year’s Winter Games. Throughout her career, she has won eight World Cup season titles and four overall World Cup championships.
“A champion athlete and a pioneer in how athletes communicate and shape their own stories, Lindsey embodies the values that define USC Annenberg,” said Dean Willow Bay in a press release. “Her fearless pursuit of excellence — and her ability to give voice to the human experience behind competition — offers our Class of 2026 a powerful model of courage, authenticity and modern leadership.”
Vonn’s work has demonstrated she is a strong believer in women’s success, especially in sports. Through her foundation, she supports girls through scholarships, education and athletics. She also is an investor in Angel City FC, which is majority-owned by Bay and her husband Bob Iger.
Vonn has also written two books, Strong Is the New Beautiful and Rise: My Story.
At commencement, Annenberg alumna and ABC correspondent and co-anchor Sophie Flay will introduce Vonn.
Graduates and their families will hear Flay and the Olympian on Friday, May 15, at 9 a.m. in Alumni Park.