American Skier Breezy Johnson Discusses Striking Gold with Mikaela Shiffrin

The 29-year-old American spoke about her 14-month ban from the USADA and her decision to come out publicly as bisexual.

“It’s been a little crazy.”

Breezy Johnson described her recent victory in the women’s downhill event and team combined at the FIS Alpine World Skiing Championships in Saalbach, Austria. The U.S. national ski team member had to overcome recent injuries, including a torn ACL and a 14-month suspension from the sport for missing three drug tests.

Taking the gold medal for the team alongside her childhood friend and the sport’s most accomplished athlete, Mikaela Shiffrin, boosted her comeback. When contacted Friday in Izola, Slovenia, Johnson said she was taking a few days off with her boyfriend and that their next stop would be Venice before returning to the slopes for the second half of the season. The American hopes to return to the Winter Olympics in 2026.

Breezy Johnson competes in the downhill leg of Women’s Team Combined during this month’s Audi FIS Alpine World Skiing Championships. Getty Images

The 29-year-old said of her memorable week, “It’s been really cool. In some ways, it was a long time coming. I’ve been on the verge of these kinds of victories and successes numerous times. It just never worked out perfectly, due to injuries, season endings, or whatever,” she explained.

Johnson continued, “I knew I had a chance at it last weekend. But I thought, ‘Maybe these things don’t work out for you.’ You just have to ski well and hope that it’s enough to make you happy, knowing that you gave it your all.”

Johnson could reach speeds of 86 mph during training runs and jump 40 meters in competition. Her accomplishment makes the struggle to overcome injuries “really worthwhile,” she said. “But it’s definitely been rough for a while.”

Johnson was born in Victor, Wyoming, and began racing and competing with Shiffrin in Jackson Hole when he was 12 years old. That connection reminded her this week of how thrilled she would have been as a 12-year-old if she had known they would one day be a team. Johnson said, “When you’re young, you have all of these big dreams, but you never imagine the difficulties that you’ll face.” Yes, ‘Little Me’ would have been very excited. But ‘Little Me’ did not realize how difficult it is. It’s worth more now that you’ve gone through so much. You realize how and why so few people do it.

Breezy Johnson wins the gold medal during the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships for the Women’s Team Combined on Feb. 11, 2025 in Saalbach, Austria. Getty Images

Before winning a record-breaking 99 World Cup races, Shiffrin openly discussed his struggles with PTSD following a crash last fall. She has faced criticism in the media for her 2002 Olympic performance. Johnson, a fellow 2022 Olympian, stated that she wanted to compete with her in the combined “to ease the burden,” and that there was no pressure to win. “This was something I wanted to give her because she has contributed so much to the sport. Johnson said, “She’s helped me since I was a little kid.”

Surprisingly, Johnson does not have an apparel sponsor, but she is eager to work with an outdoor or knitwear company. She is an avid knitter and makes her own headbands, hats, and scarves for competition. She trains and competes in spandex suits, but for more casual mountain runs, she wears a Theo jacket and regular pants.Johnson describes her style as “fairly athletic-ish,” with a preference for Lululemon and ThredUp as shopping destinations. Johnson travels to eight or nine mostly European countries each year, and he notices the wooden soles on Austrian boots as well as Europeans’ preference for tight-fitting styles. “Even in the United States, the style in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is more about The North Face, Spyder, and other functional brands. If you go to Vail or Aspen, the focus is on Bogner and Cordova. It varies by country, but it varies even more by resort,” Johnson explained.

Johnson spoke about her decision to come out publicly as a bisexual in 2022, saying that despite being a private person, she didn’t want young children to feel like they couldn’t be themselves. Regarding the public debate over gender in sports, Johnson stated that she has a transgender friend, Jay Riccomini, who competes in Slopestyle for the US ski team as a woman, his birth gender. Johnson, who does not use hormones, stated that she “really struggles” with how he is frequently misgendered. “That’s unfair and people say things to him like, ‘Why can’t you just be normal?'” she went on:

Johnson stated that there are far more serious issues in NCAA sports than transgender athletes. There is pay inequity. Much of this appears to be about policing women’s sports rather than fairness in them. I am concerned about speaking on these topics because I am a large, broad-shouldered woman. I’m worried that in this day and age, someone will say, ‘Well, we don’t think she was born female. Drop your goddamn pants in front of me! That is, in many ways, more concerning for the future of women’s sports.

Addressing her 14-month suspension imposed by the United States Anti-Doping Agency in May of last year, Johnson stated that she missed one of the tests because she texted the wrong number. She stated that in another instance, she had inadvertently reported the wrong address. Johnson suggested that a better system and app are required. “No one wants to miss tests. I’ve always offered to go meet testers, but it’s up to the tester. They will not always meet you. “That’s what happened to me,” she explained. “It’s complicated, but I’ve got nothing to hide. I was banned for 14 months, but now I am back.”