Western WA University alum wins Team USA’s first medal of 2026 Olympics
Feb 9, 2026, 10:08 AM
Breezy Johnson of Team United States in action during the Women's Downhill on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre on February 8, 2026 in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. (Photo: Christophe Pallot, Getty Images)
(Photo: Christophe Pallot, Getty Images)
Breezy Johnson, a Western Washington University alum, took home Team USA’s first medal of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Games by securing gold in women’s downhill skiing.
The 30-year-old Johnson won gold on Sunday with her time of 1 minute, 36.10 seconds. Johnson beat Germany’s Emma Aicher by only 0.04 seconds, with Italy’s Sofia Goggia taking bronze, the Olympics announced.
“People are jealous of people with Olympic gold medals. They’re not necessarily jealous of the journey it took to get those medals,” Johnson said. “If you’re going through hell, you keep walking because you don’t want to just sit around in hell.”
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From Western WA to the Olympic podium
As Johnson stood on the podium, she held back tears while the Star-Spangled Banner played, and the clasp holding the gold medal around her neck broke.
“It’s definitely heavier than I expected,” she said. “I think that’s maybe why it broke.”
Johnson’s next event is the Super-G, which will take place on Thursday at 2:30 a.m. PT.
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