American skier Breezy Johnson won Team USA’s first gold medal of the Milano Cortina Winter Games in the women’s downhill, a bittersweet victory after teammate Lindsey Vonn crashed out during the race.
Johnson, 30, was the sixth runner and the first of four American skiers down the course on Saturday and took the lead early on after flying down the iconic Olympia delle Tofana course on a sunny day in Cortina in 1:36.10. It is her first-ever Olympic medal.
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Emma Aicher of Germany and Sofia Goggia of Italy rounded up the podium.
Johnson is the second American woman to ever win the Olympic gold medal in downhill skiing, the first being Vonn at the 2010 Vancouver Games. Johnson was visibly moved as she received her medal and the national anthem was played.
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.
Vonn, who was a gold-medal favorite before she ruptured her ACL a week ago, crashed just 13.4 seconds into her downhill run. She lost control over the opening traverse after cutting the line too tightly and was spun around in the air. She was heard screaming out after the crash as she was surrounded by medical personnel before she was strapped to a gurney and flown away by a helicopter, possibly ending the skier’s storied career.
Vonn’s “right ski pole snagged a gate, jerking her off balance and out of control. She was airlifted from the mountain, a common practice for injuries during alpine competition,” Team USA said.
The other Americans in the race — Jacqueline Wiles and Isabella Wright — finished in 5th and 21st places, respectively.