Olympic Women's Alpine Skiing Results, 2026 Medal Winners for Downhill After Lindsey Vonn's Crash

Breezy Johnson opened Team USA's medal account in the 2026 Winter Olympics, winning the women's downhill in alpine skiing.

Johnson posted a time of 1:36.10, 0.04 seconds better than Germany's Emma Aicher.

Sofia Goggia thrilled the home fans in Milano Cortina with a bronze-medal performance.

Women's Downhill Medal Winners

• Gold: Breezy Johnson (United States), 1:36.10
• Silver: Emma Aicher (Germany), 1:36.14
• Bronze: Sofia Goggia (Italy), 1:36.69

The event was almost overshadowed by Lindsey Vonn's brutal crash shortly into her run. She was thrown off balance when her pole got caught on a gate, causing her to land awkwardly.

The 2010 gold medalist, who was skiing on a torn left ACL, was airlifted off the course. She was one of four skiers who failed to finish the course.

Vonn ended her retirement from competition in the hope of writing a different final chapter to her Olympic story. She came away from the 2018 Winter Games with a bronze in the downhill and didn't compete in 2022.

Johnson is only the second American woman to win gold in the downhill, joining Vonn. Mikaela Shiffrin, who's competing in her fourth Olympics, was thrilled to see her compatriot come out on top:

Everything clicked into place for Johnson and set the stage for her first podium finish in the Winter Games. She had never placed better than ninth in the Alpine World Ski Championships before winning gold last February.

The triumph will feel extra sweet for the 30-year-old after an injury forced her to miss the 2022 Olympics. Her career was also put on hold due to a 14-month ban from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for whereabouts violations in May 2024.

Johnson got back to her best during the 2024-25 World Cup season and carried that through to the Olympics.