Gold medalist Breezy Johnson has strong ties to Utah

The first gold medal won by an American at the Winter Olympics in Italy was won by Rowmark Ski Academy graduate Breezy Johnson. Johnson became just the second American woman to win the Olympic …

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) – The first gold medal won by an American at the Winter Olympics in Italy was won by Rowmark Ski Academy graduate Breezy Johnson.

Johnson became just the second American woman to win the Olympic downhill, along with Lindsey Vonn in 2010. Vonn crashed earlier in the race, breaking her leg.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Johnson said after the race. “It’s been so much work, so I’m just happy that it paid off.”

A lot of that hard work was started at the Rowland Hall Rowmark Ski Academy in Salt Lake City. Johnson attended from 2009-12, so Rowmark Academy director Per Lundstam couldn’t have been more thrilled when she took the gold.

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“That was just fantastic,” Lundstam said. “When we saw that happen, it was incredible. I have been a part of her training and her development through the years, and just to see a person close to me have that type of success and then kind of find her dreams, that was just phenomenal.”

Rowmark has produced at least one Olympic skier in every Winter Olympics since 1988 including three medalists. Picabo Street won a silver medal in the downhill in Lillehammer in 1994 and a gold in the Super-G in Nagano in 1998, while Hilary Lindh won a silver in the downhill in 1992.

Rowmark currently has produced five graduates in these Winter Games in Italy.

“The school here has had a tremendous success through the years and through history with producing really high level athletes,” Lundstam said.

But it isn’t all skiing at Rowmark. They also have high academic standards the students need to uphold.

“We’re pretty unique in terms of trying to balance both very high level academics and very high level athletics,” Lundstam said. “So our athletes, they have to go to school in the afternoons after they’ve been on the ski hill all day and all morning. So they know coming in that it’s a heavy load.”

And now to have a gold medalist in Johnson as a Rowmark graduate has already inspired the current students.

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“I think it’s massive,” Lundstam said. “I think it really gives a sense of inspiration to pursue your own journey. Just walking in the corridors just this morning, athletes are smiling and they can’t believe that she did it. They’re so excited that she’s a part of us.”

Johnson will also compete in the women’s combined alongside superstar Mikaela Shiffrin on Tuesday.

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Source: Utah News