In a thrilling and emotional chapter of alpine skiing legend, Italy’s Sofia Goggia etched her name into Olympic immortality on February 8, 2026, securing bronze in the women’s downhill at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. Racing on the iconic Tofane slope in her home nation of Italy, Goggia completed an unprecedented feat: three consecutive Olympic medals in the same discipline—gold at PyeongChang 2018, silver at Beijing 2022, and now bronze in Cortina d’Ampezzo 2026.
No other athlete in alpine skiing history—man or woman—has ever achieved three Olympic medals in downhill. Goggia’s remarkable consistency across three Games cements her as the undisputed “Queen of Speed” and one of the greatest downhill specialists the sport has ever seen.
The race itself was packed with drama. American Breezy Johnson delivered a blistering run of 1:36.10 to claim gold—America’s first medal of the 2026 Games—edging out Germany’s Emma Aicher by a razor-thin 0.04 seconds for silver. Goggia, starting with bib 15 after a brief interruption caused by Lindsey Vonn’s dramatic crash earlier in the day, attacked the course with her signature aggression. She led at the first intermediate but lost time after a slight line error, crossing the finish 0.59 seconds behind Johnson—enough to hold off the field and ignite cheers from the passionate home crowd.
For Goggia, the bronze carried extra weight: it completed the full set of Olympic downhill medals on the very mountain where she has celebrated multiple World Cup victories, including four career wins on the Olympia delle Tofane. The 33-year-old, who lit the Olympic cauldron in Cortina during the opening ceremony and helped secure the Games for Italy back in 2019, turned what could have been pressure into pure triumph.
“This is for Italy, for the fans, for everyone who believed,” Goggia said post-race, beaming on the podium as the tricolor waved wildly. Her journey has been defined by resilience—overcoming injuries, crashes, and fierce competition—yet she continues to deliver when it matters most.
Fans and fellow athletes flooded social media with praise, calling it “legendary” and “unbelievable.” As one commentator put it: “There is no one like her.”
Goggia’s historic podium moment not only thrilled the home nation but reminded the world why alpine skiing’s speed queens remain among the most inspiring figures in sport. 🇮🇹🔥
