Team USA’s Breezy Johnson Breaks Down Crying As National Anthem Plays After Olympic Gold Medal Win
on Feb 09, 2026
Breezy Johnson Becomes First American To Win A Gold Medal At The 2026 Winter Olympics
Breezy Johnson raced into the history books with her gold medal finish at the Olympics.
30-year-old Johnson of Team USA is a native of Jackson, Wyoming. She first competed in the Olympics in 2018 but didn’t reach the podium. An injury kept her from skiing in the 2022 Olympics.
Then, this year (2026), she won her first Olympic medal during the women’s downhill ski competition on Sunday (February 8th). NPR reports that Johnson reached a top speed of 80 mph during her run and finished the course in 1:36.10, earning her a gold medal.
Silver medalist Emma Aicher of Germany finished just four hundredths of a second behind Johnson. Sofia Goggia of Italy, who won bronze, finished in 1:36:69.
Moments before Johnson raced, her teammate, Lindsey Vonn, crashed and had to be airlifted off the mountain.
According to NPR, Johnson said, “[Vonn’s] coach said she was cheering for me in the helicopter. I hope for the best for her. I hope it’s not too bad. My heart aches for her.“
Vonn sustained a fracture in her left leg. She underwent surgery at the Ca’ Foncello Hospital in Treviso, Italy, to stabilize the injury.
Vonn became the first American to win gold in the women’s downhill ski competition in 2010. Johnson is now the second U.S. athlete to accomplish the feat.
Additionally, Johnson won Team USA’s first gold medal of the Winter Games (the U.S. has since won another gold in team figure skating).
Breezy Johnson Gets Emotional During National Anthem Performance
Needless to say, emotions were running high for multiple reasons as Johnson took to the podium for the medal presentation and the playing of the U.S. National Anthem.
Johnson held her hand over her heart, closed her eyes, and started crying as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played. Smiling through her tears, she began singing along as the song neared its end.
After the song concluded, Johnson proudly held her medal in the air before extending her arms toward Aicher and Goggia to pose for photos with them.
“Congratulations Breezy. You did a great job representing our country!” wrote one Olympics viewer on the YouTube video showcasing Johnson’s medal ceremony.
Another viewer wrote, “Congratulations ! You make America proud and this brought tears to a 70 year old vet!”
Someone else commented, “This made emotional. Congrats Breezy for that first place.”
“Hand over heart. Cap off. Pride in America. Respect,” wrote another viewer.
One viewer said, “You deserve this for being a great Athlete and a wonderful model for a U.S. Citizen. May your rewards for this great accomplishment be many.”
Head here to watch Breezy Johnson’s reaction to the playing of the U.S. National Anthem after her gold medal win (the song starts around 4:50 into the video). ‘
Congratulations to her!
