Breezy Johnson’s downhill gold is America’s first medal of 2026 Winter Olympics

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Four years after Breezy Johnson crashed while training at Cortina and ended her hopes of competing in the 2022 Winter Games, the American skier reclaimed the narrative on this iconic slope with a gold medal in the 2026 Olympic downhill race.

The medal is a career first for Johnson, the 30-year-old Idaho native born in Jackson, Wyo., and the first of the 2026 Olympics for Team USA.

Downhill races demand that skiers take risks and push their limits; Johnson’s run looked every bit of that. Snow flew from her skis at times, and her aggressive line sometimes veered outside the blue lines. Johnson reached a top speed of 80 miles per hour.

But those risks paid off as she gained more and more time with each interval, crossing the finish line in 1:36.10. Only one competitor, Germany’s Emma Aicher, truly challenged Johnson in the race; Aicher won silver after finishing in 1:36.14, just four-hundredths of a second behind. Italy’s Sofia Goggia won bronze with a time of 1:36.69.

“I thought today’s race was going to be the most competitive alpine ski race that has ever taken place,” Johnson said afterward, who was still wearing a red, white and blue headband she had finished knitting just the night before, a racetime tradition of hers. “The girls here love this course. The sun was out. It was perfect conditions on the Tofane track. And I knew that the margins were going to be fine. Hundredths matter.”

This was the third Olympic Games for which Johnson has qualified, but only the second in which she has competed, following her injury that knocked her out of the 2022 Games. That year, she tore her ACL in January, then attempted to compete anyway; then, on a training run in Cortina, she crashed again, this time dislodging a piece of cartilage in what she described then as “a massive crack.”

Then, in 2023, Johnson received a 14-month competition suspension after she failed to report for three drug tests. She has maintained that the failures to report were due to communication issues and that her drug tests had always been clean.

She returned to competition in Dec. 2024, and since then has steadily improved into one of the world’s top downhill skiers. In addition to Sunday’s gold, Johnson also won a gold medal in the 2025 World Championships.

“I don’t think my journey is something that many people are envious of,” Johnson told reporters Sunday after the race. “If you’re going through hell, you keep walking because you don’t want to just sit around in hell. And sometimes when you keep going, maybe you’ll make it back to the top.”

Johnson is expected to compete again on Tuesday in the team combined event, in which teams of two skiers compete, one skiing the downhill and the other skiing the slalom. Johnson will then race the super-G on Thursday.

Vonn crashes in Olympic downhill race

The downhill race had been one of the most anticipated events of the 2026 Olympics, due in large part to the participation of Johnson’s teammate Lindsey Vonn. Vonn, 41, was attempting to compete despite suffering an ACL tear just over a week ago.

But 13 seconds into her run, Vonn’s right arm snagged a gate, which sent her spinning in the air into a dramatic crash on the slope. Vonn was evacuated from the mountain by helicopter. The extent of her injuries wasn’t immediately clear.

“Her coach said she was cheering for me in the helicopter,” Johnson said afterward. “I hope for the best for her. I hope it’s not too bad. My heart aches for her.”

Two other American skiers competed. Jackie Wiles finished in fourth place, and Bella Wright finished in 21st.