Breezy Johnson raced out to an early lead during the women’s downhill Sunday and watched as competitor after competitor could not match her pace to emerge with Team USA’s first gold of the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Johnson’s 1.36.10 was four hundredths quicker than Emma Aicher of Germany. Italy’s Sofia Goggia captured bronze with a 1:36.69.
Breezy Johnson skis to a 1:36.10 finish in the women’s downhill final at the #WinterOlympics! 👏
📺: Peacock & USA pic.twitter.com/XPAceWOSru
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 8, 2026
America’s first gold triumph comes against the backdrop of a stunning fall from Johnson’s teammate, Lindsey Vonn, who had to be airlifted off a course for the second time in two weeks after suffering a brutal crash less than 15 seconds into her run.
This is the first time Johnson will climb the Olmypic medal podium, having finished 7th in the downhill and 14th in the Super G at the 2018 Games in PyeongChang. It’s the second-ever gold for the United States in the women’s downhill and it comes 16 years after Vonn captured one at the Vancouver Games.
Johnson’s path to the top of the mountain has been bumpy in recent years. In 2024 she accepted a 14-month ban from the U.S. Anti-Doping agency for whereabouts failure. Her quest to make the previous Winter Olympics in Beijing were derailed by a knee injury.
In an interview with NBC Sports ahead of these Olympics, she spoke about these challenges and her perseverance in the face of adversity.
“Maybe I can still do some good in this sport,” she said.
Considering Sunday’s victory, that proved to be an understatement.
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