[OLYMPICS] Breezy Johnson Wins Olympic Downhill Gold - SnowBrains

"The race was opened by Switzerland's Malorie Blanc who set the pace for the Tofane course at 1:38.77. She was promptly outclassed by arch-rival Austria, with Ariane Rädler beating her by 1.57 seconds-a strong benchmark for the next few skiers that even Federica Brignone could not beat, although the Italian came close, finishing just 0.09 seconds behind-an incredible feat considering Brignone has not really competed in the World Cup this season after a devastating leg fracture at the end of last season."

"However, ready for the challenge was Team USA's Breezy Johnson who shot into the lead in bib 6 with a time of 1:36.10-more than a whole second faster than the Austrian, and the crowd was here for it. Her lead left a big gap to Rädler with 30 skiers left to go but ultimately only six other skiers managed to slide into it."

"But Vonn, skiing in bib 13, suffered a devastating crash on the top section of the Tofane race course, ending her Olympic dream with what looked like a bad injury of her left knee. The crowd was in shock as the legendary American was helicoptered off the course and the remaining field waited for an agonizingly long time to make their Olympic bid."

On February 8 the women's downhill at the 2026 Olympics ran on the Tofane course before a large U.S. crowd. Switzerland's Malorie Blanc set an early pace of 1:38.77 before Austria's Ariane Rädler lowered the benchmark by 1.57 seconds. Federica Brignone finished 0.09 seconds behind Rädler despite limited racing this season after a leg fracture. Team USA's Breezy Johnson surged into the lead in bib 6 with 1:36.10. Germany's Emma Aicher finished just 0.04 seconds behind Johnson. Lindsey Vonn suffered a major crash on the top section and was helicoptered off with a likely left knee injury. The race was interrupted while Sofia Goggia remained mentally focused at the top.

Read at SnowBrains