Breezy Johnson made history for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Games on Sunday, earning the nation its first medal by capturing gold in the Women’s Downhill event.
The triumph, however, was bittersweet for Johnson. Just after she secured her leading position in Cortina, she witnessed a devastating moment as her renowned teammate, Lindsey Vonn, suffered a heartbreaking crash that eliminated her from the competition.
The 30-year-old Johnson delivered an impressive performance on the Olimpia delle Tofane course, clocking in at 1:36.10. Her time was a mere 0.04 seconds ahead of Germany’s Emma Aicher, who claimed silver, while Italy’s Sofia Goggia completed the podium by taking bronze.
For Johnson, this victory marks the pinnacle of a challenging Olympic journey that has been anything but easy.
Back in the 2018 Winter Olympics, Johnson finished seventh in the women’s downhill, and injury woes kept her from competing in the 2022 Beijing Games.
Last year, she achieved her first world title in the women’s downhill at the 2025 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships, setting the stage for her stunning Olympic triumph.
Breezy Johnson won Team USA’s first medal of the 2026 Winter Games on Sunday
The American claimed gold in the Women’s Downhill with a time of 1:36.10
Her teammate Lindsey Vonn tragically crashed out after she appeared to lose control
With her victory, Johnson became just the second American woman to ever win the Olympic gold medal in downhill skiing, joining Vonn, who was triumphant in 2010.
However, Vonn was unable to replicate her feat of Vancouver, as she crashed just 13 seconds into her run in Cortina.
With Johnson already at the bottom of the slope with the time to beat, the 41-year-old launched herself out of the gate, only to round the second corner and lose control.
Vonn sped over a hill and careered into one of the plastic markers on the side of the track before hitting the ground. Her right leg appeared to hit the ground first, with Vonn tumbling forwards before she was seen also smashing her shoulder into the ground.
The Cortina crowd fell silent as medical crews rushed to attend to Vonn, who was later airlifted off the mountain.
Immediately after the crash, the American was seen lying on the ground with her skis still attached and looked in agony, wincing as her head sank backwards.
In horrible scenes, Vonn was also heard crying in pain as the medics attended her on the slope.
She had defied the impossible by coming back to compete after rupturing her ACL prior to the Games and had completed multiple training runs in the build-up to Sunday’s event.
The 30-year-old Johnson appeared emotional as the Star-Spangled Banner played
Vonn lost control and crashed to the ground, before medics rushed to attend the American star
Vonn initially landed on her right leg – she had undergone a reconstruction on her right knee in 2024 – before she flipped over and appeared to smash her shoulder into the ground
The 2010 downhill Olympic champion had made the decision to race despite having a reconstruction in her knee in 2024 while also having no ACL in her left leg.
Vonn’s coach was heard shouting ‘keep charging, keep pushing’ just as she left the gates.
It took a while for medics to attend Vonn on the slopes but the American was eventually placed onto a stretcher. Organisers had also played background music over the skier’s cries.
Johnson covered her face as a replay of the crash was played on the big screens at the 2,650m Olympia delle Tofane slope at Cortina d’Ampezzo.
After Vonn had been evacuated from the slope, Austrian star Nina Ortleib would also fall during her run.
Ortleib was in the final third of her downhill run when she appeared to jump into the air after going over a bump. She landed in the middle of the slope before losing control, with the Austrian falling to the ground and sliding around 10m down the slope.
Ortleib, thankfully, got up onto her feet and began to ski down the mountain.
However, more worrying scenes later emerged from the mountain as Andorran star Cande Moreno was also airlifted from the course, after she had also suffered a horrific-looking crash further down from Vonn.
