Photo: Christophe Pallot/Agence Zoom/Getty Images
Breezy Johnson, the top women’s downhill skier for Team USA, has pulled out of the upcoming2022 Beijing Winter Olympicsafter suffering an injury to her knee.
The 26-year-old from Wyoming made the heartbreaking announcement through an Instagram post late Monday night.
“And all I have wanted ever since was to come back, stronger, faster, to win a gold medal,” she explained. “But I crashed in Cortina the other day and immediately felt a massive crack in my knee. It was a large chunk of cartilage that is partially dislodged. I was given the option to try to compete on it. But I don’t think that that is realistic or smart. I could do more damage and I certainly don’t think I will be skiing my best.”
Christophe Pallot/Agence Zoom/Getty
“I love the sport of ski racing and I wanted so badly to realize my dream of becoming an Olympic Champion. To bask in the glow of that sunset. But the reality is that the risks, and there are always risks, are no longer worth it,” Johnson said in her post.
“This sport is brutal. Someone asked me yesterday why we do it. And at times like these you wonder,” she continued. “But the truth is that, for me, the feeling of racing is the feeling of being truly alive, and so I will keep coming back every time. Because that feeling of skiing fast is worth everything.”
According to theNew York Times, Johnson had finished second in the last three World Cup downhill races she competed in, and had been experiencing the best season of her career.
Johnson told the outlet she expects to have surgery on her knee when she returns to the U.S. and expects to race next season.
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“Luckily I’ve been a big fan of ski racing since I was a little kid,” Johnson said on Instagram.
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visit TeamUSA.org. Watch the Winter Olympics, beginning Feb 3, and the Paralympics, beginning March 4, on NBC.
source: people.com
