SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM, Austria — Breezy Johnson, the American skier, recorded an impressive top speed of 86 mph (138.51 kph), marking one of the swiftest performances ever by a woman in an Alpine skiing race.
During the event, she showcased her remarkable prowess, soaring 38 yards (35 meters) off the large Panorama jump, a distance comparable to the men’s leaps from the renowned Hundschopf at Wengen, Switzerland.
Competing in the women’s downhill at the world championships on Saturday, Johnson embraced her personal motto, “Like the Wind.”
Being the first competitor on the course, she sensed that she had achieved something extraordinary, celebrating with enthusiastic fist pumps and addressing the packed crowd scattered across the stands.
After about an hour and a half, Johnson remained atop the podium, having captured the attention of the 15,800 spectators present at the Ulli Maier course. She was celebrated as a “Weltmeisterin” (world champion) in Austria, a country synonymous with ski racing.
Her victory was a personal milestone. “I was psyched because I knew that I had skied my best,” noted the 29-year-old Johnson. “I’m just going to enjoy this because I’ve had a lot of times where I gave my best and I didn’t win. … You have to be happy with your own skiing or your existence becomes very sad very quickly.”
Johnson concluded her run 0.15 seconds faster than Mirjam Puchner, the silver medalist from Austria, and 0.21 seconds ahead of bronze medalist Ester Ledecka, who has previously captured Olympic golds in both skiing and snowboarding.
Lauren Macuga, who secured a bronze medal in the super-G just two days prior, finished fifth, while legendary skier Lindsey Vonn placed 15th. Johnson joins an elite group of American women, including Vonn (2009), Hilary Lindh (1997), and Picabo Street (1996), who have clinched gold in downhill events at the world championships.
With her victory still sinking in, an emotional Johnson reflected on her career journey.
The skier hails from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and was once on the brink of victory with three second-place World Cup finishes in a year leading up to December 2021. However, a crash in early 2022 resulted in a knee injury that prevented her from competing in the Beijing Olympics.
Subsequently, Johnson publicly identified as bisexual, expressing her desire to represent those who feel different in professional sports. “To those people out there who feel a little different and want to see people like them at the top, I am here to represent that we are out there, we are normal, and we can do whatever we want,” she stated on social media.
However, Johnson faced further challenges when she missed three anti-doping exams, inadvertently violating “whereabouts” regulations that require athletes to provide their location for one hour each day. This resulted in a 14-month ban that just recently concluded.
After her win on Saturday, Johnson acknowledged her role in the incidents, explaining, “The first missed test was my fault.” She recounted issues with miscommunication for the second and a technical glitch for the third.
“I think a lot of athletes would agree with me to say that it’s a very challenging system,” she mentioned. “I acknowledge that I could have done better.”
However, fellow downhill competitor Sofia Goggia did not express sympathy regarding Johnson’s suspension, emphasizing the importance of adhering to rules. “We have rules to follow. We stick to the procedure. Period,” Goggia stated after finishing 16th.
During her suspension, Johnson was not permitted to train with the U.S. team, so she financed her own training in Jackson Hole and the Alps, hiring her own coach and consultants for her training regimen.
Those efforts, she noted, led to an enriching experience despite being somewhat isolating. “Those people really helped me a ton, and obviously, it was a little bit lonely. But it brought more people into the village,” Johnson reflected.
Currently, she competes without sponsorship on her headgear, but her recent gold medal victory could change that.
This race took place exactly one year before the women’s downhill event at the upcoming Milan-Cortina Olympics, expected to be held on the same track in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where Vonn has previously celebrated numerous achievements.
Jacqueline Wiles, another U.S. skier with two podium finishes on that track, also competed but faced difficulties on her run that day.
“The U.S. team is so strong, and it’s incredible to showcase our abilities on the world stage,” Macuga shared, expressing excitement for next year’s Olympics in Cortina.
As for the men’s downhill event scheduled for Sunday, the U.S. team appears to be in excellent shape, with Ryan Cochran-Siegle performing well in the training sessions.
“When I’m feeling confident, I feel like I do a good job of stacking the ski at the top of the turn and really driving in and creating power,” said Cochran-Siegle, who earned a silver medal in super-G at the Olympics. “With the right conditions and familiar tempo, it feels like a great venue for me.”
