US skier Breezy Johnson wins gold in the women’s downhill at the Alpine world championships

American skier Breezy Johnson won gold in the women’s downhill at the Alpine skiing world championships on Saturday.

Johnson finished 0.15 seconds ahead of silver medalist Mirjam Puchner of Austria. Czech skier Ester Ledecka came 0.21 behind in third to take bronze.

Lindsey Vonn trailed her American teammate Johnson by 1.96 seconds in 15th.

Vonn retired in 2019 after winning bronze in downhill in Are, Sweden, following several injuries, but returned to the circuit this season with a new titanium right knee.

It’s Johnson first medal from a major event and came two months after she returned from a 14-month ban for three violations of anti-doping rules.

Johnson has yet to win a World Cup race. The Jackson, Wyoming native got seven podium results, but none since December 2021.

She missed the 2018-19 season with a knee injury, then sat out the 2022 Olympics with another injury.

Saturday’s race took place exactly one year before the downhill at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.

___

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing