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In a thrilling display of skill and determination, American ski racer Breezy Johnson clinched the Olympic downhill title on Sunday in Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy. The triumph, however, was overshadowed by a dramatic incident involving her teammate, Lindsey Vonn, who suffered a crash that resulted in her being airlifted from the mountain.
On a sunlit day perfect for skiing, Johnson seized the opportunity with a daring and fast-paced descent on the legendary Olympia delle Tofana course. She was the sixth competitor to race and quickly found herself in the leader’s position. The atmosphere turned tense when Vonn, starting 13th, misjudged a corner, leading to a spin and crash that halted the event for over 20 minutes as she received medical attention.
Johnson, at 30, has now etched her name alongside Vonn, aged 41, as the only American women to have won the Olympic downhill event. Her impressive run clocked in at 1 minute, 36.10 seconds, narrowly edging out Germany’s Emma Aicher by just .04 seconds. This victory marked the first medal for the United States in these Winter Games. Sofia Goggia of Italy, who claimed the downhill gold in 2018 and silver in 2022, completed the podium with a bronze medal performance.
As the competition progressed, Johnson’s emotions were evident. Tears brimmed in her eyes as one contender after another failed to surpass her time. She discreetly dabbed them away with her mitten, reflecting the gravity of her achievement.
“I had an inkling that today might be special,” Johnson shared, still absorbing the magnitude of her victory. “It’s surreal, and I’m not sure when it will fully sink in.”
It’s been a tumultuous road to the top for Johnson, who sat out the 2022 Beijing Olympics with a knee injury. She was given a 14-month ban that expired in December 2024 for missing three anti-doping exams and violating “whereabouts” rules. She returned to win the world championship last February.
Now, she’s an Olympic downhill gold medalist. Teammate Jacqueline Wiles finished just .27 seconds away from a medal in a tie for fourth place.
“I think that this was the best run Breezy’s ever skied,” teammate Bella Wright said. “I’ve seen her ski ever since I was 8 years old.”
Vonn’s crash put a somber mood over the event. Vonn, who won the downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Games, was a gold-medal favorite before her crash in Switzerland last week when she suffered a ruptured ACL for her latest major knee injury.
She returned to elite ski racing last season after nearly six years and after receiving a partial titanium knee replacement in her right knee.
“I hope it’s not as bad as it looked,” Johnson said. “Sometimes, because you love this course so much, when you crash on it and hurts you like that, it hurts that much worse. My heart just goes out to her.”
Cande Moreno of Andorra had her left knee buckle while landing on a jump. Like Vonn, she was taken off the course by helicopter and the race was again put on hold.
Both downhill golds this weekend were won by the reigning world champions after Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland won the men’s race on Saturday. Both races also featured up-and-coming silver medalists (Aicher, Giovanni Franzoni of Italy) and Italian veterans in bronze position (Goggia, Dominik Paris).
With her bronze medal, Goggia now has an Olympic downhill medal of every color.
“So-so with my performance, but in the overall I got a medal again,” Goggia said. “It’s a privilege.”