CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — The US staff for subsequent month’s Olympics misplaced considered one of its best medal potentialities Tuesday when downhill racer Breezy Johnson mentioned damage will pressure her to omit the Beijing Video games.
Johnson positioned 2d in the back of Olympic champion Sofia Goggia in each and every of the 3 International Cup downhills she began this season, then crashed in coaching runs sooner than two races in January.
“I’ve to announce that I’ve sadly injured my knee and will have to withdraw from the Olympics,” Johnson mentioned on her Instagram account.
JURE MAKOVEC by way of Getty Pictures
The 26-year-old racer crashed in coaching in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, remaining week, one week after skipping a downhill in Austria to let a reduce and bruised knee heal.
Johnson wrote that during Cortina she “in an instant felt a large crack in my knee” and had dislodged cartilage.
“I used to be given the choice to check out to compete on it. However I don’t suppose that this is life like or good,” she mentioned.
Johnson positioned 7th in downhill on the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.
“It was once the excitement of my lifestyles to constitute @teamusa on the Video games in 2018,” Johnson mentioned. “And all I’ve sought after ever since was once to come back again, more potent, sooner, to win a gold medal.”
The ladies’s downhill is scheduled for Feb. 15. Goggia, who has gained 4 of 5 International Cup races, could also be an unsure starter after two crashes in January.