Johnson Third in Kvitfjell Downhill; Four in Top 15

On Friday’s make-up downhill in Kvitfjell, Norway, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Breezy Johnson led the charge for the U.S. women with her first World Cup podium of the season in third place. Jackie Wiles, Lindsey Vonn and Lauren Macuga rounded out the top 15 in eighth, 12th and 15th place, respectively. 

“It definitely treated me kinder than I deserved. I risked a lot,” said Johnson. 

The skies finally turned blue with a sun overhead - a welcome sight for the crew who had been skiing under clouds in the fog the past week. The track firmed up overnight, making for higher speeds, which meant the women speed skiers needed to lock in and focus. 

First up for the U.S. team was Wiles who was pushing hard running bib two. She flew through the finish over a second ahead of her competitor, hopeful that this time would be a solid result. Wiles stayed up on the top of the board for a while until some fast Italians and Austrians knocked her down to what would end up being a great top 10 result. 

“I'm really excited to have a solid result,” said Wiles. “It's been kind of an off and on season with results, so it feels good to have a solid result here at a venue that I haven't done a downhill yet.”

Johnson was next for the team, fresh off her recent World Championships gold medals. She had the speed, confidence and drive to push through some mistakes while still gaining speed. She came down in podium position and a look of disbelief crossed her face as she saw her rank. 

“I definitely made some mistakes, so I'm kind of surprised by the results,” said Johnson. “I feel good, all things considered. You have to push and try things out. You must risk things and considering all that I risked and all that I paid for, I feel like I did pretty good.” 

The surprise of the day was Germany’s Emma Aicher who came blazing down into second place. Aicher, who is consistently a top 10 skier in tech and speed found her groove Friday just 0.15 behind the winning time of Austrian Cornelia Huetter. 

Vonn and Macuga also showed strong results in 13th and 15th. Bella Wright found herself in the points in 23rd place. Overall the women feel confident heading into the next two days of racing for one downhill and one super-G. 

RESULTS 
Women's downhill

HOW TO WATCH 
4:30 a.m. ET, women’s downhill, Kvitfjell, Norway - skiandsnowboard.live 
4:30 a.m. ET women’s super-G, Kvitfjell, Norway - skiandsnowboard.live