From Heartbreak to Gold: Breezy Johnson’s Triumph on the Mountain That Once Broke Her Dreams

While Lindsey Vonn’s comeback ended in tragedy, her teammate Breezy Johnson conquered the same treacherous slope that derailed her 2022 Olympic hopes to claim America’s first gold of the Milan Cortina Games.

The Mountain That Remembers

Four years ago, the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo was where Breezy Johnson first tasted World Cup success with a top-10 finish in 2017. But it was also where, five years later, she crashed during training and ruptured her ACL, crushing her Beijing 2022 Olympic dreams. “I’m going to have to come back to this same place with a body that’s been put back together and try to accomplish my goals,” she vowed on Instagram. Sunday morning, the 30-year-old from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, made good on that promise in spectacular fashion.

When Dreams Collide

The race began with anticipation but quickly turned bittersweet when Lindsey Vonn, racing on a badly injured left knee, crashed early in the Olympic downhill and was taken off the course by helicopter. Johnson, Vonn’s teammate, won gold and became only the second American woman to win the Olympic downhill after Vonn did it 16 years ago. Just 13 seconds into her run, Vonn’s right arm snagged a gate, sending her spinning through the air in a dramatic crash. She was evacuated from the mountain by helicopter. “Her coach said she was cheering for me in the helicopter,” Johnson said afterward. “My heart aches for her.”

Racing on the Edge

Johnson won with a typically high-risk run down a slope she admits has produced some of the “fastest skiing” of her career, crossing the line in a blistering 1:36.10. The Olympic course opens with the Tofana Schuss, a steep section with a 64 percent gradient where racers reach speeds of more than 80mph. Her run looked every bit the part of a downhill champion – snow flew from her skis at times, her aggressive line sometimes veered outside the blue lines, and she reached a top speed of 80 miles per hour. She finished ahead of Germany’s Emma Aicher who claimed silver in 1:36.14, and Italy’s Sofia Goggia who took bronze in 1:36.69.

The Long Road Back

This was Johnson’s third Olympic Games qualification, but only her second competition after her 2022 injury knocked her out of Beijing. That year, she tore her ACL in January, then attempted to compete anyway before crashing again in Cortina training, dislodging cartilage. In 2023, Johnson received a 14-month competition suspension after failing to report for three drug tests, though she maintained the failures were due to communication issues and her tests had always been clean. She returned to competition in December 2024. “I don’t think my journey is something that many people are envious of,” Johnson told reporters after the race.

Golden Moment, Broken Medal

Johnson was visibly moved as she received her medal and the national anthem was played. “I had a good feeling about today. I sort of still can’t believe it yet,” Johnson said. “I don’t know when it will sink in.” In a moment that perfectly captured the chaotic beauty of her journey, Johnson’s gold medal fell off her neck when the ribbon detached during celebrations, breaking it into three pieces. Johnson became the second American woman to ever win Olympic downhill gold, following Vonn’s 2010 Vancouver victory, and delivered Team USA’s first medal of the Milan Cortina Games.