Defending downhill world champion Breezy Johnson (USA) is a medal contender in her own right and will seek redemption in Milan Cortina.
A couple of weeks before the Beijing Olympics, Johnson tore her ACL — coincidentally, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where the women will ski at the 2026 Winter Olympics — and was forced to miss the Games in 2022.
The Jackson Hole, Wyoming, native made a full recovery, but was suspended in 2023 for 14 months for a whereabouts violation because she missed three drug tests within a year. She never failed a test.
Johnson’s triumphant display at the 2025 World Championships and World Cup podium in January 2026 proved that she can hang with the world’s top skiers on the biggest stage.
Jacqueline Wiles (USA), who snagged a Cup podium herself in January, is a dark horse threat to make noise in Milan Cortina.
Emma Aicher (GER) and Sofia Goggia (ITA) are two non-American names to keep an eye on. Goggia is a two-time Olympic medalist, with her gold coming at the 2018 Winter Olympic downhill in PyeongChang. She’s maintained a high level of skiing since and will be a fan favorite on her home snow.
Aicher is an Olympic silver medalist, a title she picked up as an 18-year-old in Beijing. Four years later, she’s one of the elite speed racers in the sport, recently collecting her second career downhill World Cup victory. As of Feb. 2026, she sits second behind Vonn in points.