Breezy Johnson Dedicated Her Historic Olympics Win to Her Dad Following a Family Tragedy
Published Feb. 10 2026, 9:39 a.m. ET
Olympic alpine ski racer Breezy Johnson is known for her incredible way of demanding the slopes. Her talent was shown to an international audience when she competed in the 2026 Winter Olympics. While at the Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy event, she finished in a time of 1:36.10, edging Germany’s Emma Aicher by four hundredths of a second. The win made the athlete only the second American woman to ever win the Olympic gold medal.
When Breezy was crowned the winner of her event, she dedicated the medal to her dad, Gregory Johnson, who had recently suffered a devastating health concern. Here’s what we know about what happened to Breezy’s dad.
What happened to Breezy Johnson’s dad?
Ahead of her Olympics win, Breezy’s dad was involved in a severe accident. According to a report from , Greg, a former alpine racer, was the one who taught his daughter how to ski. Unfortunately, according to Breezy’s speech regarding her dad’s accident, she revealed that her dad was told he might never be able to play in their shared sport again.
“I had a good feeling about today,” she said in her speech. “I don’t know when it will sink in yet. I knew I had to push and go harder than I did in training. I had to be super clean and I felt like I did that.”
“[My father] found out he can no longer ski anymore,” Breezy further shared. “And, so, yeah, the least I could do is try to ski fast for him.”
Who are Breezy Johnson’s parents?
Breezy was born Breanna Noble Johnson to her parents, Greg and Heather Johnson. According to her mom’s interview with The Seattle Times, they decided to legally change her name at 2 years old, which she felt was a “perfect” fit since it had been a family nickname given to her by her grandmother. Breezy’s mom worked as an attorney while her father taught her and her brother, Finn Johnson, how to ski, and they were competitive at a young age, per her Team USA bio.
The family settled on the western slope of Teton Pass in Victor, Idaho, just across the Wyoming state line from Jackson Hole. Both parents worked in Wyoming, and the kids went to school there. The arrangement came with unique challenges: the mountain pass between Idaho and Wyoming occasionally closed on short notice due to avalanches, sometimes stranding the children on the wrong side of the state line.
In addition to her career, Breezy’s family is extremely supportive of her moves on and off the slopes. Her family was seemingly by her side when she came out as bisexual in 2022.