Breezy Johnson Secures Team USA’s First Gold at Milano Cortina Winter Games

4 months ago 0

American skier Breezy Johnson achieved a remarkable milestone by clinching the first gold medal for Team USA at the Milano Cortina Winter Games. She emerged victorious in the women’s downhill event, a triumph that was bittersweet following her teammate Lindsey Vonn’s crash during the race.

Johnson, aged 30, was the sixth competitor in line and the first among four American skiers to descend the course on Saturday. She swiftly took the lead, completing the iconic Olympia delle Tofana course under the sunny skies of Cortina with a time of 1:36.10. This victory marks her first-ever Olympic medal.

Breezy Johnson of Team USA in action during the Women's Downhill

Emma Aicher from Germany and Italy’s Sofia Goggia completed the podium. Johnson’s achievement makes her only the second American woman to win Olympic gold in downhill skiing, following Lindsey Vonn’s triumph at the 2010 Vancouver Games. Johnson was visibly emotional as she received her medal and the national anthem played.

“I had a good feeling about today. I sort of still can’t believe it yet,” Johnson expressed. “I don’t know when it will sink in.”

Johnson’s journey to the top has been challenging. She was sidelined during the 2022 Beijing Olympics due to a knee injury and also faced a 14-month suspension, which ended in December 2024, for missing three anti-doping tests and breaching “whereabouts” regulations. However, she made a comeback by securing the world championship title last February.

Lindsey Vonn, highly favored for a gold medal before suffering from a ruptured ACL a week prior, crashed during her downhill run just 13.4 seconds in. She lost control early in the descent after taking too tight a line, causing her to spin in the air. Following the crash, she was attended by medical personnel and airlifted from the mountain to ensure her safety.

“I hope it’s not as bad as it looked,” Johnson commented. “Because when you love this course so much, and then experience such a fall, it makes the pain even worse. My heart just goes out to her.”

Among the other American competitors, Jacqueline Wiles and Isabella Wright finished in 5th and 21st places, respectively. The Associated Press and journalist Haley Ott contributed additional reporting to this story.