Breezy Johnson: ‘I want to win that title’

At the end of her 2020-21 season, Breezy Johnson hoped to have another opportunity to be a World Cup downhill title contender. With four podium finishes, Johnson was America’s top woman on the speed circuit and undoubtedly skiing the best in her career. Despite a crash in her final race of the year that had the 25-year-old sliding into the net and down to fourth place in the downhill standings, Johnson is hoping to seize the top spot in the 2021-22 season. 

Johnson has dreamed about winning the World Cup downhill title her entire life. Troubled with two knee injuries and a tibial plateau fracture during her inaugural years on the World Cup circuit, Johnson overcame adversity to finish in the top 10 in her 2018 Olympic debut. Fighting to recover from her third knee injury in 2019, Johnson chose to race a condensed schedule in early 2020 before COVID-19 prematurely ended her comeback season. 

When she returned in 2020-21, Johnson aimed to finish in the top three downhill standings. She capitalized on time spent in the gym, analyzed her skiing potential, and tapped into new found confidence after two top-five finishes in her comeback year. After she finished first place in her second official training run last December, Johnson’s target shifted to winning the downhill title. 

“I kinda surprised myself,” said Johsnon. “You have these big goals to be in the top three of the downhill standings or win the downhill standing one day, actually being in the run for that for the first time was really different.” 

After her injuries, Johnson questioned if she would ever be a downhill title contender. Winning a training run was all she needed to shift her mindset to grasp an unexpected opportunity. The next day, Johnson landed her first World Cup podium in the Val d’Isere downhill, finishing third. 

“Your first podium is always very cool,” reminisced Johnson. “I think that was definitely kind of an eye-opening moment. Then, to podium again in St. Anton, I knew my best is one of the best out there, and that definitely freed me up going forward.”

The remainder of her 2020-21 season was a whirlwind, one that had television spectators at the edge of their seat watching the newest American star finish in the top-five in six out of her eight downhill races. Then, in her final downhill of the year, Johnson fell inside on her right hip half way down the Val di Fassa course, crashing into the net and out of the top-three downhill standings. 

“Right at the end of the year I was very happy with my season but I also wasn’t satisfied with it because I didn’t know if this opportunity to win the downhill title was going to come back around,” shared Johnson. “I really wanted it to.” 

And so it begins

At the end of last season, Johnson and her coaches analyzed all her training and racing footage to pinpoint where she was losing speed. They identified terrain and snow conditions when her technique broke down and cost her split seconds of time, often the difference between her and reigning downhill champion Sofia Goggia. 

Johnson was determined to be the best: in the gym, on the hill, and in her mental preparation. She spent her summer diligently working out and improving her strength numbers. In the first round of testing mid-July, Johnson captured her strongest metrics ever and had finally accomplished her three-year back squat goal of 330 lbs (150kg). 

When she returned to glaciers in Saas Fee and Zermatt for training, Johnson shared courses with some of her top competitors and male counterparts, often receiving compliments on her visibly gained strength. Many training sessions were spent side by side or with the Italian, Goggia, giving immediate feedback to Johnson’s tactical progression against that of her competitor. The two battled in training for the quickest times, often even beating their male counterparts. 

“I try to always say if you’re skiing fast in training, don’t think about it, and if you’re skiing slow in training, also don’t think about it,” said Johnson. “Training is very different. All too many times I’ve seen people panicking about being slow or feeling uber confident about being fast, and that’s just a waste of time.”

Mentally, Johnson went back to work with her sports psychologist to help focus her mindset on progress and strengths. One of Johnson’s greatest mental strengths is visualizing. A large component of her summer training is focused on visualizing: precisely running every course through her mind in order to hone in terrain changes, challenging turns, and where she needs to nail her line. By the time Johnson returns to the venue this year, she won’t “waste any time” between clicking into her skis and knowing what to execute. 

“I try to visualize enough to remember it (the course), but not get sick of it or revisit it too much,” said Johsnon. “When I go back, I’m ready. I always want to remember things but also want to have an open mind because there are changes year to year, and you don’t want to get too engraved in your ways.”

Up against Goggia

Prior to her first race of the 2021-22 season, Johnson tapped into her visualization practice to prepare for various snow and light conditions in Lake Louise. She matched two career-best results, finishing second in both downhills behind Goggia despite challenging visibility and soft snow. Happy with her success but craving more, Johnson once again tapped into what separated the two this round to recognize where she can improve her gliding and straighten out her line to compete for the top spot. 

“When you are up against a skier like Goggia, who excels so much on those flat sections, you sometimes have to up your game even on your strengths,” shared Johnson. “Goggia skis so straight and is on the limit, but she feels very comfortable there and I think I may need to get some of that to catch her.” 

Johnson withholds putting too much stock into Lake Louise’s results. With just two downhill races completed on the 2021-22 women’s World Cup speed calendar, Johnson has narrowed her previous season’s gap on downhill leader. Skiing with far fewer mistakes than last year and establishing balance between fast and out of control, she has faith in her tactics and ski style that may play to her favor on hard surfaces come this winter. 

“I do feel very blessed to have what appears to maybe be the opportunity to fight for a globe once again,” shared Johnson. “Goggia looked pretty unbeatable and I don’t know the last time someone won both downhills in Lake Louise but failed to win the downhill globe, but I have 40 more points on her than I had last season, and I’m just going to ski my best and try to give her a fight.”

One thing Johnson relies on is that ski racing is a little bit of the same every season. From courses to competitors and her personal game plan — the familiarity of the sport fuels her passion to purely ski on the World Cup tour. 

“I want to win that title,” said Johnson. “I feel like I am in a great position for it and you never know how many seasons you get. Looking at the Olympics I want to go in there and ski my best and hopefully walk away with the gold, but if something happens that prevents me from that, I’m not going to beat myself up about it for the next four years.”