Breezy Johnson wins gold medal in downhill
Breezy Johnson won the gold medal for the U.S. team in the women’s downhill, but accidentally broke her medal after jumping up in excitement.
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CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Breezy Johnson had better stick to her Olympic gold medal.
literally.
On Sunday, February 8, Johnson was jumping up and down celebrating his Olympic downhill title when the gold medal was removed from the ribbon. It’s common for athletes’ medals to become damaged or need repair, but rarely for it to happen this quickly.
“It’s definitely heavy. It’s heavier than I expected,” Johnson said. “I think that’s probably what caused it to break.”
There is a groove at the top of the medal that holds the ribbon, but the part that holds the two pieces together broke.
“It’s not super broken, but it’s a little broken,” Johnson said.
She had the gold medal stuffed in her pocket while giving a post-race interview. When asked if anyone was going to fix it, she jokingly replied that no one in the media had come forward.
“I’ve never been anywhere else,” Johnson said. “I hope someone can fix it.”
Given how crafty Johnson is, she’ll probably come up with a solution herself.
Johnson has a tradition of knitting himself a new headband before a race. She finished her downhill race on Saturday night, but before the race she was still reeling in the remaining thread.
Johnson plans to someday auction off the headband, which is light blue with red and white diagonal stripes, to raise money for charity. When I asked if I could wear it again, since it symbolizes good luck, Johnson was taken aback.
“I have to buy a new one,” she said. “Even if I do well in one thing, I know that if I go back to it, I won’t be lucky anymore.”
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