WWU’s Johnson wins another Olympic downhill — but doesn’t medal

Western Washington alumna Breezy Johnson struggled to sleep the night before the inaugural Olympic team combined, worrying about disappointing her close friend and legendary alpine teammate Mikaela Shiffrin.

“I was, like, having dreams of DNFing and then like being like, ‘Mikaelaaaaa,’” Johnson said of fearing she would crash in the downhill portion of the inaugural two-leg event.

Johnson, who attended WWU eight years ago, should not have worried. Three days after winning the prestigious downhill, she did it again Tuesday, Feb. 10, on a day Shiffrin struggled with ghosts of Olympics past.