Wyoming native Breezy Johnson won the gold medal in the Women’s downhill at the Winter Olympic Games in Cortina, Italy, today.

Johnson, 30, skied the course in 1:36.10 to beat Germany’s Emma Aicher by 0.04 seconds. Italy’s Sofia Goggia was 0.59 seconds behind Johnson and took the bronze medal.

Johnson’s teammate, Lindsey Vonn, crashed and was airlifted off the hill. The field of 36 racers tackled the 1.6-mile course, which drops 2,500 feet, under sunny skies.

Breezy Johnson celebrates her Olympic gold medal in Cortina, Italy, on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (Emily Tidwell/U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team)

Johnson bobbled a couple times on her way down, but kept up her speed.

“She just managed these moments with courage,” commentator Steve Porino said on television.

“She worked her entire life for this moment,” the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team posted on Facebook. It was the first gold medal for the U.S. team in the 2026 Winter Games.

She received her medal at the bottom of the course, raising both fists in celebration. She placed her hand over her heart and fought back tears as the American flag was raised to the strains of the national anthem.

Johnson won the race after posting the best time in the second training run Saturday by 0.21 seconds. She is the reigning world champion in the downhill, winning gold last year.

Born in a Jackson Hole blizzard, Johnson was forged by Teton mountain slopes, racing at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Grand Targhee and Snow King Mountain. Her father, a skier who worked on local ski-race crews, first launched her down an inclined subdivision road outside her home in Victor, Idaho when she was 3 years old. Her mother is an attorney.

She skied in her first International Ski Federation competition in 2011 and began making a splash in 2016. She placed seventh in the 2018 Olympic downhill in PyeongChang, South Korea.

The world reacted within minutes, posting more than 12,000 heart emojis on an Instagram message heralding her gold medal.

Angus M. Thuermer Jr. is the natural resources reporter for WyoFile. He is a veteran Wyoming reporter and editor with more than 35 years experience in Wyoming. Contact him at angus@wyofile.com or (307)...

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  1. I would like a little explanation as to why they keep saying she is from Jackson Hole, when she lives in Victor, Idaho? Does she get anything from JHMR or the JH Air maybe for using that as where she is from?

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  3. While Lindsey Vonn’s comeback story overshadowed Breezy’s in the media in the run-up, Breezy and her story got top billing by the end of NBC’s coverage after the Superbowl. Coming back at 41 after 7 years was great, but Breezy winning, by 0.04 seconds was fantastic for her and Wyoming. Congratulations to NBC for recognizing a good US story, while also learning not to show our annoying VP.

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  5. Love 💕 this story! She fought hard and it paid off! Congratulations 🎉 USA 🇺🇸 First Gold and a WY gal did it!! This neighboring Western SD gal is excited for Breezy!🥰🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

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