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American skier Breezy Johnson won Team USA’s first gold medal of the Milano Cortina Winter Games in the women’s downhill, a bittersweet victory after teammate Lindsey Vonn crashed out during the race.
Johnson, 30, was the sixth runner and the first of four American skiers down the course on Saturday and took the lead early on after flying down the iconic Olympia delle Tofana course on a sunny day in Cortina in 1:36.10. It is her first-ever Olympic medal.
Christophe Pallot / Agence Zoom / Getty Images
Emma Aicher of Germany and Sofia Goggia of Italy rounded up the podium.
Johnson is the second American woman to ever win the Olympic gold medal in downhill skiing, the first being Vonn at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
Vonn crashed just 13.4 seconds into her downhill run. She lost control over the opening traverse after cutting the line too tightly and was spun around in the air. She was heard screaming out after the crash as she was surrounded by medical personnel before she was strapped to a gurney and flown away by a helicopter, possibly ending the skier’s storied career.
Vonn’s “right ski pole snagged a gate, jerking her off balance and out of control. She was airlifted from the mountain, a common practice for injuries during alpine competition,” Team USA said.
The other Americans in the race — Jacqueline Wiles and Isabella Wright — finished in 5th and 21st places, respectively.
