Breezy Johnson Is Downhill World Champion
On Saturday’s World Championships downhill in Saalbach, Austria, U.S. Ski Team athlete Breezy Johnson knifed her run to claim gold and become the 2025 downhill world champion. The 29-year-old had not won at the very top level in 104 previous attempts, but it all came together down the Zwölferkogel in Saalbach, Austria.
Johnson has always been a force in women’s speed but never stood on top of a World Cup podium or World Championships podium until now. She is a two-time Olympian with seven World Cup podiums to her name and now a World Championships victory to her list of accolades.
First out of the gate, a relaxed looking Johnson flew down a course suited to those with a smooth, calm touch. A roar to the crowd with both arms outstretched indicated that the expert glider was happy with her efforts and so it proved, with no one able to match her time of one minute 41.29 seconds.
On a day for the underdogs, local favourite Mirjam Puchner (AUT/Atomic) put her tough season behind her to snatch silver, finishing +0.15 seconds behind the beaming victor. Despite not having won on the World Cup tour since 2019, the Austrian now has two major medals in three years, having claimed Olympic Super G silver in 2022.
A year to the day before the Olympic women’s Downhill will take place in Cortina D’Ampezzo, Ester Ledecka (CZE/Kaestle) reminded the world of her remarkable skills. A first Alpine skiing world championship medal will now sit alongside three snowboard world championship medals, plus her two snowboard Olympic golds and her 2018 Olympic Super G gold in Ledecka’s bulging trophy cabinet.
Less than a year after snatching the 2023/24 World Cup Downhill Crystal Globe with a stunning Saalbach performance, Conny Hütter (AUT/Head) had to endure the agony of finishing fourth, 0.13 seconds off the podium.
Her fellow pre-race favourites fared worse, with current Downhill season standings leader Federica Brignone (ITA/Rossignol) fading to 10th after fighting the mid and lower sections. The 2018 Olympic downhill champion Sofia Goggia (ITA/Atomic) also admitted she “never found the right feeling” as she ended 16th, one spot behind 2009 Downhill world champion Lindsey Vonn (USA/Head).
On a tough day for the Swiss, Corinne Suter (Head) was unable to add to her world championship Downhill medal collection, as she, like many others, was unable to match Johnson’s speed on the lower half. She did make it to the finish – ending seventh – unlike storied teammate Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI/Head). Chasing a ninth world championship medal, Gut-Behrami was in touch until skiing out late on, producing a miraculous recovery just to stay on her feet.
But after a career full of close calls, including three World Cup second place finishes in 2021, it was Johnson’s day. Picked out by many, including Goggia and Hütter, as a big threat, so it proved.
Johnson had already set a solid pace in the training runs earlier in the week and knew what she needed to do to execute the plan and ski her best. To add to the narrative, Johnson ran wearing bib one, truly setting the pace for the rest of the skiers. She pushed hard from the start to come down with a final time that was a full second faster than her training runs. It was clear that this would be a tough one to beat.
“I came to Cortina for my second World Championships. I hip checked and I won three splits, but that was not gonna work with a hip check so I didn't walk away with a medal,” said Johnson. “Then I came into Meribel with the green light and I fell, so it's been a long time coming. But if you keep trying then maybe one day you'll get it.”
Skier after skier came down the course and could not hold a candle to Johnson. It was not until fellow teammate and super-G bronze medalist Lauren Macuga came blazing down with fast splits up top that had the crowd on the edge of their seats. Macuga landed in fifth.
“I put forward my best skiing, and I couldn't be more excited,” said Macuga. “It's so cool to see our team thriving like this. We've been building it up and now we get to represent such a strong team. I was just trying to hammer, trying to send and really just keep charging, and stay in the low tuck and execute all of my things,” a teary Johnson said in the finish area. It's definitely a fast course in places. It was fun. I was just kind of moving, you know, section to section and just trying to execute my plan.”
Her plan proved perfection, with a top speed of 138.51kmph after flying 36m off the famous Panoramasprung jump powering her to the finish.
“I was psyched because I knew that I had skied my best,” Johnson said of celebrations in the finish area that came despite knowing 32 racers had the chance to catch her.
“You know it’s really fun when people are skiing well,” Johnson said, with her gold coming two days after the 22-year-old Lauren Macuga (USA/Rossignol) won Super G bronze. “And you know, we try to build each other up, and we try to help each other and I think that that typically breeds a breeds a fast ski environment. It definitely breeds a happy ski environment.”
Much to the delight of the 15,000-plus locals the Austrian team know just what Johnson is talking about, Puchner adding her Downhill silver to Stephanie Venier’s (AUT/Head) Super G gold. This after a season in which Puchner has really struggled.
“It was heavy from the first race. I always had problems and I didn’t know why it was not working because the summer and autumn (2024) was very good until training in Copper (Mountain, USA),” said Puchner, who in nine World Cup speed races leading up to these World Championships had finished inside the top-15 just once. Luckily, the Zwölferkogel could have been designed for her silky skills.
“Everyone said ‘yeah it’s a great slope for you’ and I like it very much, it’s a slope that includes everything,” Puchner said, the smile back on her face. “I tried to make a reset, a new start at the World Champs, and it was great.”
Just like the two skiers ahead of her, Ledecka also had to overcome real challenges to join them on a world championship podium. A flare up of an old injury kept the Czechia skier from competing in the final pre-World Championship World Cup speed races and then she got sick once she arrived in Saalbach. But Ledecka is built of different stuff and only a wobble after the Panoramasprung stopped her from climbing even higher.
“You know in snowboarding I already had two (world championship) gold medals and one silver so now the collection is complete with bronze from Downhill skiing,” a laughing Ledeccka said. "You know, obviously I have much more achievements so far on (my) snowboard. I also was snowboarding much more in the past years, (but) the last few years I was more on the skis so I'm getting a little bit better there too. I believe I'm quite a decent skier and also a snowboarder. So, this is good for me, but, you know, it also takes a lot of work. And I need to work on my snowboard skills right now as well, because the World Championships on snowboard is coming (16-30 March in Engadin). “So now I'm skiing until tomorrow, and since tomorrow, I'm again a snowboarder.”
Ledecka will be hoping to repeat her headline grabbing feats in a year’s time, when she attempts to replicate the remarkable Alpine skiing and snowboarding Olympic gold medal double she pulled off in PyeongChang in 2018.
Lindsey Vonn (USA/Head), who will be 41 by then, very much hopes to join her after skiing in her first world championships for six years. Vonn landed in 15th place. After a fall a few days ago, Vonn skied impressively at the top for a good result.
“For me it was important to be at the start and be clear minded and be able to execute under pressure. It is good preparation for next year for the Olympics,” said Vonn. “I'm so happy for Breezy and also Lauren in the super-G… Our team is really, really strong so it's going to be a fun season to prepare for with all these girls that are so fast. You know, in the start, I put pressure on myself as if it was a practice run for the Olympics, and I did exactly what I came here to do,” said Vonn, who only returned to World Cup racing in December last year. Clearly, not everything is working as well as it should. I know I can be stronger. I know I can get my material to work better. For me, it's, it's like, you know, jumping in a Formula One car and having no training.I hope to be in a much different place in a year.”
