On February 8, Breezy Johnson won Team USA’s first gold medal at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in a thrilling women’s downhill event. The American skier beat Germany’s Emma Aicher by only 0.04 seconds, with Italy’s Sofia Goggia taking home the bronze.
Lindsey Vonn, a 41-year-old legend who was racing even though she had just torn her ACL, crashed early in her run at the Tofane Alpine Ski Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo. When she hit her head, she was airlifted to a hospital. The crowd stopped the event to give her a standing ovation. Vonn’s brave return ended in injury, so now the focus is on her recovery.
On February 8, there were also events in the biathlon mixed relay and men’s skiathlon, which were part of eight gold medal events. The medals given out on Day 1 set the tone: Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland won gold in men’s downhill, Kira Kimura of Japan won gold in snowboard big air, and Francesca Lollobrigida of Italy won gold in speedskating. Norway was ahead in the medal count at first, with several golds.
