TIME is giving women’s sports its due, as the magazine highlighted top athletes and leaders in this week’s TIME 100 Most Influential People in Sports.
Olympic game-changers, WNBA superstars, soccer greats, coaching icons, and front office giants all made the cut, as multi-team owner Michele Kang, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, and Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai joined athletes like A’ja Wilson, Alex Morgan, and Alysa Liu.
“The inaugural TIME100 Sports list recognizes individuals who are not only excelling in their fields, but also shaping culture, expanding opportunity, and influencing the world far beyond competition,” said TIME CEO Jessica Sibley said in a statement.
TIME took special interest in the Winter Olympics, after the stars of Milan Cortina broke into the public consciousness this past February.
US and Canada hockey rivals Hilary Knight and Marie-Philip Poulin headlined the selection, while skiers Lindsey Vonn, Eileen Gu, and Mikaela Shiffrin, and Paralympian Oksana Masters joined Liu in the spotlight.
The WNBA also got the TIME treatment, as Wilson shared the honors with Caitlin Clark, Nneka Ogwumike, and Aces head coach Becky Hammon.
Lindsey Vonn, A'ja Wilson, Venus Williams, and Eileen Gu were among the many top athletes turning heads with 2026 Met Gala looks on Monday night.
Held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Met Gala stands as one of the year's biggest nights for fashion, art, and culture.
Williams helped lead the night as co-chair, alongside Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Anna Wintour. The seven-time Grand Slam champion wore a black gown inspired by her portrait at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. She paired it with a neck piece reminiscent of Wimbledon’s “Venue Rosewater dish” trophy.
The WNBA also had a strong presence.
Wilson — along with Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers — delivered some of the most talked-about Met Gala looks of the night. Wilson sported a gold off-the-shoulder gown with flowing sleeves, set ablaze by a slicked-back, golden-blonde hairstyle.
For Vonn, the night brought an especially significant moment.
In one of her first public appearances since her 2026 Winter Olympics crash, the decorated US skier arrived wearing a Thom Browne gown. Vonn also walked in without her crutches, marking a recovery milestone just three months after her injury.
Olympic freestyle skier Eileen Gu wore a glass bubble dress that weighed 30 pounds. Additionally, her look was complete with a bubble machine that trailed behind her.
"I lift weights, don't worry. I'm good," Gu told USA TODAY, explaining her Met Gala look with a laugh.
"There's a sense of whimsy. You can't help but poke and play with them. I like bringing that sense of fun wherever I go."
Decorated US skier Lindsey Vonn is still working through what comes next.
Months after her devastating crash at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Vonn said she's not ready — physically or emotionally — to decide whether or not she'll compete again.
"I just don't want to jump to any conclusions or even speculate on what I might do," Vonn told the Associated Press. "I may retire, I may never race again, and that would be completely fine, but I'm not in a position emotionally to make that decision at this point."
The crash came just 13 seconds into the women's downhill in Cortina, with Vonn suffering a complex tibia fracture and compartment syndrome. The injuries required eight surgeries, with at least one more procedure still needed to repair a torn ACL in her left knee.
While Vonn has returned from injuries before, the 41-year-old said this one stands out.
"It's a much different injury," she continued. "I could have lost my leg... I can deal with a lot of pain, but this was so extreme. It's not even been in the universe of pain with this injury as what I've had before.”
The recovery, she explained, has been as mental as it's been physical.
Transitioning from a wheelchair to crutches, Vonn said her timeline remains uncertain. She has not yet discussed a potential return to skiing with her doctors, instead focusing on day-to-day recovery.
"I'm still, like I said, in survival mode that I just want to get through this phase and be able to assess where I am in my life," she said.
And for now, that means holding off on any major decisions.
"I don't want to make a decision now, because I think that would be rash and probably too emotional," Vonn said. "I don't want to make a mistake."
Lindsey Vonn is still weighing her future options after her Olympic crash, saying she has not ruled out a return to skiing following her season-ending injury in Cortina.
Vonn crashed early in the women's downhill at the 2026 Winter Olympics, suffering a complex tibia fracture and compartment syndrome. That fall ended what had been a strong comeback season, with Vonn sitting atop the downhill standings entering the Games.
The crash punctuated a career defined by pushing her limits. The US skiing star competed despite tearing her ACL in a World Cup crash just nine days before the event. After that incident, she chose to race on the sport's biggest stage one more time.
Now, her focus has shifted to recovery — and what comes next.
"I can move on," Vonn told Craig Melvin in a recent TODAY interview. "It's not a question of can I, I already have... I know what it's like to not be a ski racer anymore."
Still, she has not ruled out another run.
"I don't know the answer to that question," she said. "I know I'll be happy if I do ski race again... It might be fun to do one more — one more run."
That possibility remains in play as she works through rehabbing her Olympic crash injury. In the interview, Vonn reported spending hours each day in physical therapy, the gym, and specialized treatment.
"On repeat," she said. "Every day."
The crash also shifted how Vonn views her legacy, as the 41-year-old resists being pinned down by that fateful moment in Cortina.
"I don't want 13 seconds to define my career because it's so much more than that," she said.
Vonn returned to competition in 2024 after briefly retiring in 2019, building back into form before this year's Olympic setback. Her resume already includes three Olympic medals and 84 World Cup wins.
What's Next for Lindsey Vonn After her Olympic Crash
While she's not ruling anything out, Vonn's next step depends on her continued recovery.
"I can't say what the future holds," she said. "My mind can't get there yet."
Mikaela Shiffrin is opening up about the moment that helped her reset before winning Olympic slalom gold in Milano-Cortina.
Speaking on TODAY, Shiffrin said she had an “almost out-of-body experience” at the start-gate before her second run. The moment came after she watched the skier ahead of her miss a gate, bringing her back to her disappointing performance at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
“My biggest fear going into the Games was that I would feel really isolated and alone,” Shiffrin said.
But, thanks to her team, that’s not how she felt on the Italian slopes last month.
“They made me feel very supported and feel very together,”
Shiffrin said of her backers. “It felt like they were skiing it with me.”
The 31-year-old went on to complete a clean second run and top the Olympic slalom podium, earning her third career individual gold medal. The victory only padded Shiffrin’s already-stacked resume, which spans a record 110 World Cup wins and a record-tying six overall World Cup titles.
Will Olympic Skier Mikaela Shiffrin Compete in the Next Winter Olympics?
While she remains at the top of her game, questions still surround Shiffrin’s future — especially when it comes to participating in the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps.
“We look forward to seeing you at the next Winter Olympics,” TODAY anchor Craig Melvin told her with a smile, closing out the interview.
“Very good, Very good. We’ll talk later,” she laughed.
Mikaela Shiffrin secured a record-tying sixth women's overall World Cup skiing title on Wednesday in Norway, matching a near-50-year high mark.
The 31-year-old needed only to finish in the Top 15 of the giant slalom finale to clinch the title ahead of German challenger Emma Aicher. Shiffrin subsequently accomplished the feat Aicher even began her second run.
"It's quite emotional," she said. "This thing sums up a whole season of work and fighting with the whole team, and I have to say to Emma that her skiing has been just outstanding."
Shiffrin now stands alongside Austrian downhill legend Annemarie Moser-Pröll, who won six overall titles in the 1970s. Moser-Pröll claimed five consecutive championships from 1971-75, before adding a sixth in 1979.
Shiffrin won three straight overall titles from 2017-19, followed by back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023, while Lindsey Vonn ranks third with four overall titles.
The season marked another dominant campaign for the US alpine star. She captured her third Olympic gold medal by dominating the slalom at 2026 Winter Olympics. She also won nine of 10 World Cup slalom races this season.
Shiffrin now tallies a record 110 World Cup victories across all disciplines — the most in history by any skier, men's or women's. Retired Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark sits second with 86 wins.
The title caps a remarkable comeback for Shiffrin, who spoke publicly about learning from her disappointing performance at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. She used those lessons to fuel her triumph in Milan, where she reclaimed her place atop the alpine skiing world en route to the 2026 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup.
US skier Lindsey Vonn faced a possible left leg amputation after a devastating crash in the downhill event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the decorated star said in a social media video on Monday.
In addition to a broken right ankle and left fibula fracture, Vonn suffered an extremely complex left tibia fracture after clipping a gate mere seconds into her downhill run on February 8th — just days after tearing her left ACL in the leadup to Olympic competition.
In the aftermath of the trauma, the 41-year-old experienced compartment syndrome, a complication in which bleeding or swelling cause significant pressure that, in serious cases, can lead to nerve damage, muscle damage, and even limb loss — necessitating a procedure called a fasciotomy.
Vonn actually credits her torn ACL with saving her leg, as the previous injury was the reason that Team USA orthopedic surgeon Dr. Tom Hackett, who performed the emergency fasciotomy, traveled to Italy with the skier.
"If I hadn't [torn my ACL,] Tom wouldn't have been there. He wouldn't have been able to save my leg," Vonn said. "I feel very lucky and grateful for him."
Following multiple surgeries in both Italy and the US, Vonn is out of the hospital but wheelchair-bound, as the five-time Olympian faces an extended rehabilitation and recovery period that will likely take longer than a year.
"It has been quite the journey and by far the most extreme and painful and challenging injury I've ever faced in my entire life times 100," Vonn explained. "It's going to be a long road."
That said, Vonn has "no regrets" about her fight to return to the Olympic stage.
"I wish it had ended differently, but I'd rather go down swinging than not try at all," she said. "This year was incredible and so worth everything."
Eileen Gu capped her 2026 Olympic run with a bang, as the Chinese freestyle skier won her first gold medal of the Milano-Cortina Games — and the third of her storied career — in the women's halfpipe final on Sunday.
After successfully defending her 2022 halfpipe crown, Gu has now medaled in every Olympic event she's ever attempted, earning three gold and three silver medals at the age of 22.
"The reason I love the records so much is that it's not about man or woman," Gu said. "I'm the most decorated freeskier of all time, male or female."
The San Francisco-born freeski star has become the relatively new Olympic sport's premier global ambassador, entering the 2026 Winter Olympics as its highest-paid athlete while opting to compete for her mother's homeland of China — a choice that ruffled some political feathers.
"Somebody who grew up in the United Sates of America, who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that make this country a great place, I would hope they want to compete with the United States of America," Vice President JD Vance told Fox News. "So, I'm going to root for American athletes."
"So many athletes compete for a different country… people only have a problem with me doing it because they kind of lump China into this monolithic entity," Gu said in response. "And also, because I win. Like, if I wasn't doing well, I think that they probably wouldn't care as much, and that's OK for me."
Another winter sports icon is hanging up her skis, as Team USA cross-country star Jessie Diggins competed in her final Olympic race on Sunday, finishing fifth in the inaugural women's 50km mass start classic to round out her decorated career.
"If you had told me even a year ago, I'd be in the fight for a bronze medal in a 50K classic, I would not have believed you," said the four-time Olympic medalist. "I can confidently say I could not possibly have tried harder or gotten more out of my body."
"I got to end [my Olympic career] on a beautiful day and at a venue that I love so much," Diggins added. "I'm just really proud of this last Olympics, really grateful, and really happy. I'm leaving here full of joy."
The 34-year-old revolutionized the sport in the US, joining teammate Kikkan Randall in leading the nation to its first-ever cross-country gold medal when the pair won the team sprint at the 2018 PyeongChang Games.
Diggins then picked up three more medals, earning silver in the 30km freestyle and bronze in the individual sprint at the 2022 Beijing Olympics before taking bronze in last week's 10km interval start freestyle.
Saying that this season would be her last as a professional, Diggins also announced plans to close out her career at the World Cup finals in March.
"I'm just so proud of being gritty and being able to give my best and not just in a bib, off the snow as well, doing what I need to do to be a good human and try to make the world a little bit better," she said.
Ski mountaineering made history on Thursday, as Switzerland's Marianne Fatton won the sport's first-ever Olympic gold after claiming the women's sprint title in Bormio, Italy.
Fatton finished with a time of 2:59.77 to beat favorite Emily Harrop of France. Harrop earned silver in 3:02.15, finishing 2.38 seconds behind, while Spain's Ana Alonso Rodriguez captured bronze with a time of 3:10.22.
Harrop had posted the fastest time heading into the final at 3:03.34 after winning both her heat and semifinal. But reigning world champion Fatton managed to capitalize on Harrop's slower transitions to win the final.
Ski mountaineering, often called "skimo," requires athletes to ascend mountains both on skis and on foot before a downhill race decides the winner. The women's sprint featured three ascent stages, with athletes starting with skis attached before removing them to tackle the course on foot. They subsequently reattach their skis for another ascent, later stripping off the skins for the final descent.
Snowy conditions at the Stelvio Ski Centre made conditions particularly challenging for athletes, as they showcased ski mountaineering to Olympic audiences for the first time. The International Ski Mountaineering Federation was founded in 2007 and gained IOC recognition in 2016.
"It's a magical day," the 30-year-old said after Thursday's win. "It's history for our sport, and for us as athletes, and it's wonderful."