Breezy Johnson Secures Historic Gold for US at Milan Cortina Olympics
In a dramatic turn of events at the Milan Cortina Olympics, Breezy Johnson clinched the United States' first gold medal of the Games in the women's downhill on Sunday, February 8, 2026. However, her triumphant moment was profoundly overshadowed by the shocking crash of her teammate, skiing legend Lindsey Vonn, during the same event.
Vonn's Crash Casts Pall Over Johnson's Victory
The scene unfolded with gasps from the crowd and a helicopter airlift, as Vonn suffered a frightening fall while competing. This incident inevitably diverted attention from Johnson's achievement of winning her country's inaugural gold at these Olympics. Johnson, aged 30, expressed mixed emotions, stating it was "one of the most heartbreaking moments of my life" to witness Vonn's crash, even as she sat in the leader's box on the verge of securing her first Olympic gold medal.
Johnson's victory was not the anticipated Olympic comeback story, as focus had been on Vonn aiming for gold despite a torn ACL. Nonetheless, Johnson became only the second American woman to win the Olympic downhill, following Vonn's 2010 triumph. Her win came after overcoming personal injury concerns and a 14-month ban for violating anti-doping "whereabouts" rules. Reflecting on her journey, Johnson emphasized, "you just have to keep going because that's the only option."
NHL Players Arrive for Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
In other Olympic news, five charter planes carrying NHL players, including Canada's Sidney Crosby, arrived in Milan from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Sunday morning. This marks the first Olympics featuring NHL players since the 2014 Sochi Games. Sweden was the first team, comprised almost exclusively of NHL players, to practice at Milano Santagiulia Arena, followed by the U.S., Czechia, Canada, and Finland.
The 12-team men's tournament commences on Wednesday, with the U.S. and Canada as heavy favorites. Both teams begin their campaigns on Thursday, with the Americans facing Latvia and Canada playing the Czech Republic. Finland enters as the defending champion, but Canada has won each of the past two Olympics with NHL participation.
Upset in Snowboarding Parallel Giant Slalom
In a stunning upset at the snowboarding parallel giant slalom in Livigno, Czech racer Ester Ledecka, aiming to become the first snowboarder to win gold at three consecutive Olympics, lost her quarterfinal race by a mere 0.06 seconds to Austria's Sabine Payer. The gold medal went to Ledecka's teammate, 22-year-old Zuzana Maderova, securing her first major event victory. Payer took silver, and Italy's Lucia Dalmasso won bronze. Ledecka had not lost a PGS World Cup race in nearly two years prior to this defeat.
Super Bowl Draws Interest in Italy Despite Late Kickoff
Interest in the Super Bowl remains high in Italy, even with the game kicking off at 12:30 a.m. local time on Monday. Several sports pubs in Milan reported being fully booked and turning away walk-up customers. The New England Patriots are set to face the Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara, California. American skier Jacqueline Wiles, a "big, big fan" of the Seahawks and native of Portland, Oregon, finished tied for fourth in the women's downhill, narrowly missing a bronze medal just days before the Super Bowl.
