The American Breezy Johnson wins gold in the Olympic downhill ahead of the German Emma Aicher and Sofia Goggia from Italy. A drama unfolds around Lindsey Vonn.
Breezy Johnson and major events - a perfect match. As the female counterpart to Franjo von Allmen, the 30-year-old also secured the gold medal in the downhill in Cortina d'Ampezzo after winning the World Championship title in Saalbach. She beat Emma Aicher by a wafer-thin margin on the Olimpia delle Tofane slope.
The 22-year-old German was the only one who could really threaten Johnson. In the end, the all-rounder, who grew up in Sweden and lived in Engelberg for three years as a teenager, was just four hundredths short of gold.
Bronze went to Sofia Goggia. The Italian has therefore won a complete set of medals at the Olympic Games, after winning the downhill at the 2018 Olympics and taking silver in the supreme discipline four years ago. Goggia's performance should be rated all the higher, as she started the race late in high temperatures after a drama surrounding Lindsey Vonn had unfolded.
Vonn crashes early on
The American's dream of a second downhill gold at the Olympic Games after 2010 came to an end after twelve seconds of skiing. After a jump, the 41-year-old caught her right arm in the gate, twisted and hit the piste hard. Vonn stayed down, the race was interrupted for a long time and the "speed queen" was finally transported away by helicopter. After her comeback just over a year ago, Vonn had focused everything on the Olympic Games. After her crash the previous week in Crans-Montana, she was even at the start with a torn cruciate ligament in her left knee. The risk did not pay off for her.
As expected, the Swiss women were unable to get involved in the battle for the medals. Corinne Suter was the best Swiss-Ski athlete in 14th place, almost two seconds behind. Four years ago, the athlete from Schwyz won gold in Beijing, and in 2021 she became Downhill World Champion in Cortina. Janine Schmitt (17th), Jasmine Flury (19th) and Malorie Blanc (20th) started the race with early starting numbers, but were unable to benefit from the good conditions. The team result reflects the modest Swiss performance in the speed season so far.
The top 20 in the final classification
The live ticker for review:
-
Liveticker
-
Liveticker closed
-
Start number 25
Cerutti also without a chance
By now, all the racers who would have been capable of an exploit here have crossed the finish line. It is now really clear that nothing will change on the podium.
-
Start number 20
Stuhec almost two seconds back
The Slovenian is also a long way off the best times here. I've decided that the race here is over, at least as far as the places at the front are concerned.
-
Start number 19
Romane Miradoli has no chance
The Frenchwoman loses a lot of time and breaks up the Swiss quartet at the end of the classification.
-
Start number 18
Ortlieb crashes
The Austrian slips and falls, but is able to get up again immediately and is unlikely to have injured herself.
-
Start number 17
Wiles also without a chance
Jacqueline Wiles would definitely have been a medal candidate. And the American skier shows a particularly strong finish and comes fourth at the same time as Corinne Hüter.
-
Starting number 16
Suter also clearly beaten
The Swiss exploit definitely failed to materialize today. And brutally so. The four Swiss skiers finish together at the bottom of the rankings. That is a brutal defeat.
-
Starting number 15
Goggia on course for bronze
The Italian starts very quickly, but then strays far from the ideal line. But Goggia continues to attack. It's not enough to match Johnson's time, but under these circumstances it's an outstanding performance and should be rewarded with the bronze medal.
-
Start number 14
Puchner loses a lot of time
The Austrian is actually a strong glider, but she can't cope with this slope at all. We'll find out what else is possible here, as gold favorite Sofia Goggia is next at the start.
-
Race interrupted
Vonn transported away
The American has now been taken away. There are already skiers back on the piste. But the big question from a sporting perspective is: What is still possible here? Firstly, it is a difficult task mentally to ski down here and, above all, the piste is not easy. It's warm and sunny in Cortina and the piste is getting slower and slower due to the sunlight. Mirjam Puchner, Sofia Goggia and then Corinne Suter follow.
-
Starting number 13
Lindsey Vonn crashes heavily after just a few seconds
Lindsey Vonn has only had one goal for the last two years: this Olympic downhill. With a torn cruciate ligament just a week ago, the American is at the start and wants to give her all to still achieve her goal of Olympic gold. But the 41-year-old crashes heavily in the first few seconds of her run. The American remains lying in the snow and screams in pain. That doesn't look good at all. The American is taken away by helicopter.
-
Start number 12
Weidle-Winkelmann
The second German trump card doesn't work. While Aicher is right at the front, Kira Weidle-Winkelmann suffers a disappointment and is 1.16 seconds behind.
-
Starting number 11
Hütter also clearly beaten in the middle section
Like so many racers, Hütter keeps up at the top and is then clearly slower than the American in the middle section. Intermediate 3rd place for Hütter.
-
Start number 10
Aicher very close to Johnson
Like Johnson, the German is not skiing as cleanly, but that seems to be the right recipe today: Aicher loses just 0.04 seconds to the finish and is therefore in 2nd place.
-
Start number 9
Kajsa Lie loses just under a second
The Norwegian Kajsa Lie is the fastest at the top, but then also loses a lot of time in the middle section, where Johnson skied outstandingly. At the finish she is in intermediate 3rd place. It's a tight race here - if you exclude Johnson at the top.
-
Starting number 8
Pirovano in 2nd place
The Italian is a little less direct than Johnson and therefore loses 0.94 seconds. But that's still enough for second place - is that enough for a medal? Certain doubts are justified.
-
Start number 7
Delago far away from the line
The second Italian at the start has absolutely no chance after a few mistakes and loses 1.55 seconds.
-
Start number 6
Johnson with a few mistakes
Johnson was already the fastest in the final training run and in the race she showed why she is a force to be reckoned with today. Although she made a few mistakes in her run, she pulled out a lead of 1.1 seconds! That's amazing, was that already the gold run?
-
Start number 5
Janine Schmitt the best Swiss so far
At the top, Schmitt, like most of the others, is still going strong, but then loses a lot of time in the third sector. This also leaves Schmitt over a second behind the leading Rädler. Nevertheless, she is the best Swiss skier so far.
-
Starting number 4
Jasmine Flury with a big mistake
The 2023 downhill world champion keeps up well at the top, but then the line is anything but optimal and that costs a lot of time. She finishes in 3rd place, 1.31 seconds behind.
-
Starting number 3
Brignone razor-thin behind Rädler
Brignone has already achieved her first goal: to be at the start at all today after her serious injury. And the Italian showed a sensational run, but finished 0.09 seconds behind Rädler. Nevertheless, Brignone has proven herself: She should be a force to be reckoned with, especially in the super-G and giant slalom.
-
Starting number 2
Ariane Rädler clearly faster than Blanc
The Austrian is definitely a secret favorite today. Still a little behind at the top, she turns up the pace from the second intermediate time and is significantly faster than Blanc. At the finish, she is a whopping 1.57 seconds ahead. Wow! What is this mark worth?
-
Start number 1
Malorie Blanc sets a first benchmark time
The winner of the last super-G in Crans-Montana opens the Olympic downhill. The Swiss skier gets through without any visible mistakes, but we will see what the time is actually worth in the next runs.
-
The start list
![]()
fis-ski.com -
The weather is fine
In contrast to the previous days, the weather in Cortina looks much better today. The sun is shining and the slope conditions are also good. Nothing should stand in the way of a fair race.
-
Vonn with an emotional Instagram post before the race
Lindsey Vonn came out with fighting words on Saturday. The 41-year-old wants to win the gold medal despite the cruciate ligament rupture she suffered a few days ago - and made this clear in an Instagram post.
"I'll be at the start tomorrow and know that I'm strong. I know that I believe in myself. I know the odds are against me because of my age, my missing ACL and my titanium knee - but I also know that I still believe," she wrote. "It's usually when the odds are at their worst that I bring out the best in myself."
-
Hello ...
... and welcome to the live ticker for the women's Olympic downhill in Cortina d'Ampezzo. Switzerland's Malorie Blanc opens the race at 11.30 a.m. - you can follow it live here.
