Auston Matthews gold medal photo goes viral after girlfriend shares Instagram post



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Team USA and Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews poses with his girlfriend Vanessa Piunno.

Photo credit: Vanessa Piunno – Instagram

Auston Matthews’ gold medal photo is causing waves on social media Tuesday after his girlfriend Vanessa Piunno shared a candid look at the two celebrating while in Milan, Italy after Matthews secured the gold medal in the 2026 Olympic Games.

Matthews and Piunno were seen posing together in Olympic Village, where the Maple Leafs captain was draped in his gold medal, sharing a big smile for the camera with his girlfriend at his side as she mentioned the entire month as something to remember for life.

Matthews still has work to do despite Olympic gold

Matthews was a beast at both ends of the ice during the Olympics, with seven points in six games (3 goals, 4 assists) and he was instrumental in helping the US end a 46-year gold medal drought and proved that not only can he lead — but do so under the most intense pressure.

With how rough this season has been, it’s one of the only bright spots and hopefully will translate into a strong finish for the captain as he tries to navigate his team out of the basement of the Atlantic Division.

This season Matthews has 51 points in 55 games (26 goals, 25 assists) and is on track to have his tenth straight 30-goal season but needs to start picking it up soon in order to do so.

For what it’s worth, fans also seemed pretty excited about the post given that it could mean that Matthews is sticking around for life:

It’s a rare look into the life of Matthews, but it seems like he not only enjoyed himself but is starting to get more comfortable in the public eye. If he can become a more vocal and visible leader for the Maple Leafs, it could lead to great things — and maybe keep the critics off his back.

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Auston Matthews gold medal photo goes viral after girlfriend shares Instagram post

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