Breezy Johnson on why the alpine combine is a one-of-a-kind event
U.S. ski star Breezy Johnson explains what makes the alpine ski team combine such a unique and exciting event
Editor’s note: Lindsey Vonn has a complex fracture in her tibia that will require multiple surgeries, she revealed on Feb. 9. She will not compete in team combined.
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — An American team made the podium at women’s team combined skiing in the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, but it wasn’t the one everyone expected.
Jackie Wiles and Paula Moltzan captured bronze in the Alpine skiing event in which one skier races downhill and a teammate skis a slalom run. Wiles raced to the fourth fastest downhill time in the morning before handing off to Moltzan in the afternoon for the slalom portion.
Austria’s Ariane Raedler (1:36.65) and Katharina Huber (45.01) won gold with a time of 2:21.66. Germany’s Kira Weidle-Winkelmann (1:37.33) and Emma Aicher took silver in 2:21.71. Wiles (1:37.04) and Moltzan (44.87) earned bronze with a time of 2:21.91.
Mikaela Shiffrin, who has won more slalom races than any skier in history, was expected to be the star of this event and almost certainly add to her medal collection especially after being paired with newly minted downhill gold medalist Breezy Johnson. But Shiffrin faltered in her slalom run, with the 15th fastest time, after Johnson had topped the downhill for the second time in two days to hand the lead to Shiffrin.
“It’s a competitive sport. At the end of the day, they’re our friends, but they’re also our competitors,” Moltzan said about edging Johnson and Shiffrin for the bronze.
The Austrian team was second after the downhill run, while the German team vaulted from sixth into silver medal position after Aicher laid down the best slalom run of the day.
USA TODAY Sports had full coverage of both the downhill and slalom portions of team combined. Scroll below for complete results and a recap of the races:
Results are determined by combining the times for downhill and slalom. Lowest total time wis gold.
Austria: Ariane Raedler (1:36.65) and Katharina Huber (45.01) | 2:21.66Germany: Kira Weidle-Winkelmann (1:37.33) and Emma Aicher (44.38) | 2:21.71USA: Jackie Wiles (1:37.04) and Paula Moltzan (44.87) | 2:21.91USA: Breezy Johnson (1:36.59) and Mikaela Shiffrin (45.38) | 2:21.97Austria: Cornelia Huetter (1:37.19) and Katharina Truppe (45.08) | 2:22.27Switzerland: Jasmine Flury (1:38.13) and Wendy Holdener (44.41) | 2:22.54Austria: Nina Ortlieb (1:37.60) and Katharina Gallhuber (45.03) | 2:22.63France: Laura Gauche (1:37.92) and Marion Chevrier (44.87) | 2:29.79Switzerland: Corinne Suter (1:38.10) and Camille Rast (44.80) | 2:22.90Italy: Nicol Delago (1:37.75) and Anna Trocker (45.19) | 2:22.94Norway: Kajsa Vickhoff Lie (1:37.36) and Bianca Bakke Westhoff (45.62) | 2:22.98France: Camille Cerutti (1:38.69) and Caitlin McFarlane (45.00) | 2:23.69Canada: Valerie Grenier (1:39.10) and Laurence St-Germain (44.95) | 2:24.05Austria: Mirjam Puchner (1:38.18) and Lisa Hoerhager (45.99) | 2:24.17USA: Keely Cashman (1:39.91) and AJ Hurt (44.99) | 2:24.90Czechia: Barbora Novakova (1:41.41) and Martina Dubovska (44.88) | 2:26.29Argentina: Nicole Begue (1:44.15) and Francesca Baruzzi Farriol (45.03) | 2:29.18Czechia: Elisa Maria Negri (1:45.22) and Alena Labastova (46.94) | 2:32.16Italy: Laura Pirovano (1:36.86) and Martina Peterlini (DNF)France: Romane Miradoli (1:37.37) and Marie Lamure (DNF)Slovenia: Ilka Stuhec (1:38.29) and Ana Bucik Jogan (DNF)Switzerland: Janine Schmitt (1:38.50) and Melanie Meillard (DNF)Switzerland: Delia Durrer (1:39.06) and Eliane Christen (DNF)Italy: Nadia Delago (1:39.42) and Giada D’Antonio (DNF)Slovakia: Katarina Srobova (1:46.66) and Petra Vlhova (DNF)Canada: Cassidy Gray (1:41.15) and Ali Nullmeyer (DSQ)
Austria’s Ariane Raedler (1:36.65) and Katharina Huber (45.01) won gold with a time of 2:21.66. Germany’s Kira Weidle-Winkelmann (1:37.33) and Emma Aicher took silver in 2:21.71. The USA’s Jackie Wiles (1:37.04) and Paula Moltzan (44.87) earned bronze with a time of 2:21.91.
That’s the second silver medal for Germany’s Emma Aicher, who also was second in the downhill.
Jackie Wiles gets her first career Olympic medal in three Games alongside fellow first-time medal winner Paula Moltzan after finishing fourth in Sunday’s downhill
Well that’s an upset. Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin finished fourth in the team combined, an event they win at last year’s World championships, after Shiffrin struggled in the slalom run.
She and Johnson finished fourth, missing the podium by 0.06 seconds. Shiffrin’s run was 15th-fastest of 18 skiers who finished slalom runs. Shiffrin was a full second slower than Germany’s Emma Aicher, who won the slalom run. That’s an unfathomable gap for someone who has won the first seven World Cup slaloms and finished second in the other.
Paula Moltzan has her and Jacqueline Wiles in position for a medal. The duo are in second, 0.20 seconds behind Germany. They caught a break when Italy DNFd. But there are still two teams left, including Mikaela Shiffrin
There is some serious carnage on the slalom course. Of the first 12 skiers, five have skied out and another was disqualified.
One of the most fun parts about the team combined is watching skiers who normally have to be so individualistic embraced being part of the collective. Every team’s speed skiers were in the finish area, cheering and waving flags for their slalom partners. Most are running out to greet their teammate when she finished.
Hurt put herself and Keely Cashman into first place after a solid slalom run. Hurt was in the green the entire run, allowing her to erase some of her team’s gap after the first run.She and Cashman are in second as of now, but there are still any skiers to go.
Slalom runs are scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. ET (2 p.m. local).
Twenty-six competitors will each do a single run, down from 28 after two DNFs in the downhill portion. American star Mikaela Shiffrin will ski last after teammate Breezy Johnson posted the best time in the downhill legs.
Team USA is in prime position to collect multiple medals in the women’s team combined event, which pairs up two skiers – with one racing downhill and the other skiing a slalom run.
Breezy Johnson, who won the women’s downhill two days ago to give the USA its first medal of the Milano Cortina Winter Games, posted the fastest time again today and will hand off a lead to superstar Mikaela Shiffrin.
“She texted that she was blown away by the run because she’s very complimentary. And I just said no pressure from me and go get ’em,” Johnson said after her run.
Johnson finished in 1:36.59 to top the leaderboard, 0.06 seconds ahead of Austria’s Ariane Raedler. Italy’s Laura Pirovano put the host country in medal position, posting the third-best downhill run, 0.27 behind Johnson.
American Jackie Wiles is 0.45 seconds back in fourth place and will hand off to Paula Moltzan, a very strong technical skier. Keely Cashman finished 21st and will give way to AJ Hurt. Bella Wright crashed, meaning she and Nina O’Brien are done.
“It’s both the most and the least pressure that you ever feel as a racer,” Johnson said. “It’s the most because we as racers intimately know what it is to have an Olympic dream, and to hold somebody else’s in your hand and try to ski fast with it is a lot of pressure. But then also to have somebody else be able to carry the torch halfway and not have to do the whole thing yourself makes it the least pressure.
“So I can’t really describe it other than that. But I think it’s really cool and I hope that all the kids watching with their best friend realize that maybe one day the two of them can compete at the Olympics together,” said Johnson, who has been good friends with Shiffrin since they were children.
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Mikaela Shiffrin will know exactly what she needs to do to keep her and Breezy Johnson atop the podium.
The start order for the slalom run of the team combined is the reverse order of the downhill results. That means Shiffrin will ski last, because Johnson won the downhill portion of the event.
“I wish her the best,” said Johnson, who will watch the slalom runs from the bottom of the course with the rest of the U.S. speed team. “I already have my gold medal. I hope that she has fun and does her best, but if anything happens, I’m not going to be like, ‘Oh, you ruined everything.'”
Country, downhill skier and time, followed by slalom skier
USA: Breezy Johnson (1:36.59) and Mikaela ShiffrinAustria: Ariane Raedler (1:36.65) and Katharina HuberItaly: Laura Pirovano (1:36.86) and Martina PeterliniUSA: Jackie Wiles (1:37.04) and Paula MoltzanAustria: Cornelia Huetter (1:37.19) and Katharina TruppeGermany: Kira Weidle-Winkelmann (1:37.33) and Emma AicherNorway: Kajsa Vickhoff Lie (1:37.36) and Bianca Bakke WesthoffFrance: Romane Miradoli (1:37.37) and Marie LamureAustria: Nina Ortlieb (1:37.60) and Katharina GallhuberItaly: Nicol Delago (1:37.75) and Anna TrockerFrance: Laura Gauche (1:37.92) and Marion ChevrierSwitzerland: Corinne Suter (1:38.10) and Camille RastSwitzerland: Jasmine Flury (1:38.13) and Wendy HoldenerAustria: Mirjam Puchner (1:38.18) and Lisa HoerhagerSlovenia: Ilka Stuhec (1:38.29) and Ana Bucik JoganSwitzerland: Janine Schmitt (1:38.50) and Melanie MeillardFrance: Camille Cerutti (1:38.69) and Caitlin McFarlaneSwitzerland: Delia Durrer (1:39.06) and Eliane ChristenCanada: Valerie Grenier (1:39.10) and Laurence St-GermainItaly: Nadia Delago (1:39.42) and Giada D’AntonioUSA: Keely Cashman (1:39.91) and AJ HurtCanada: Cassidy Gray (1:41.15) and Ali NullmeyerCzechia: Barbora Novakova (1:41.41) and Martina DubovskaArgentina: Nicole Begue (1:44.15) and Francesca Baruzzi FarriolCzechia: Elisa Maria Negri (1:45.22) and Alena LabastovaSlovakia: Katarina Srobova (1:46.66) and Petra VlhovaItaly: Sofia Goggia (DNF) and Lara Della MeaUSA: Isabella Wright (DNF) and Nina O’Brien
Jacqueline Wiles said she was happy with her run, which has the No. 2 U.S. team in fourth place going into the slalom run later today.
“I think I had a solid run, so I’m excited about that. I feel like I’m putting (Paula Moltzan) in a good spot,” Wiles said. “She’s an amazing skier, so I know she can make up good time. She’s skiing incredibly well with confidence. So I’m really excited and proud to be her teammate and I can’t wait for later.”
This event offers redemption for both Wiles and Moltzan. Wiles finished fourth in the Olympic downhill two days ago, missing a medal by 0.27 seconds. Moltzan was gifted the lead in the combined at last year’s world championships but struggled on her slalom run and wound up fourth.
“We’re both in that mindset of, yeah, we really want this and we know that we can be there. And so it’s fun,” Wiles said. “I feel like we’re both in that same mindset of revenge and redemption.”
Yowza Breezy Johnson! The Olympic downhill champion threw down another blistering run, not backing off anywhere on the course.
Her skis were a little chattery at the top, but she still had a slight lead through the first two sections. She lost speed in the middle section course, but sailed off the final jump and crossed the finish line with a 0.06 second lead.
Johnson pumped her fist and waved at the crowd, which was filled with U.S. fans.
Even though Johnson now has an Olympic gold medal, she told USA TODAY Sports on Monday, Feb. 9 that she felt a lot of pressure for the team combined.
“You don’t want to let down the greatest of all time, obviously!” Johnson said, referring to Mikaela Shiffrin. “To give her a good downhill run feels like passing Kobe Bryant a great layup. You want to do that for her. You want to be able to pass the ball right, and you don’t want to miss that shot.”
Job done.
Tough birthday for Bella Wright
If Nina O’Brien’s phone is blowing up this afternoon, it’s probably Bella Wright.
Wright went out early in the downhill portion of the team combined, meaning O’Brien won’t get the chance to compete in the slalom portion of the event.
“I am going to send her a bunch of sad emojis and say, `I’m so, so sorry,'” Wright said. “You don’t get to have a teammate often in this sport and I was so looking forward to doing it with her. I didn’t care how we did today. I mean, of course we were going to go for it and we were going to go for a medal. But no matter what she did, I didn’t care. I was just excited to do it with her.
“So I’m definitely — that’s my biggest bummer of today, is just not being able to experience that with her,” said Wright, who was celebrating her 29th birthday Tuesday, Feb. 10. “So I’m sorry, Nina!”
Lot of teams losing speed in the middle of the course. That could bode well for Breezy Johnson because that’s where she took control in the downhill.
Oh no! Italy’s Sofia Goggia, who lit the Cortina cauldron in Cortina during the opening ceremony, and then two days later won bronze in the downhill, is out! She’s fine, skiing down to the finish. But that means Italy’s top team is done.
That was one wild ride from Jacqueline Wiles.
The American was all gas from the start and had the lead through the first two sections. But Wiles got wild in the middle section, going right up that fine line between aggressive and losing control.
Wiles got some huge air on her jumps and got skittery around some turns. But she made it down, putting the Americans in third place at the time, 0.72 seconds behind an Austrian pair and an Italian one.
Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin are the only medalists from last year’s world championships who are competing together today. Lara Gut-Behrami, who raced downhill for Switzerland’s silver-medal winning team, is out for the season after being injured during training ahead of the World Cup event at Copper Mountain. Stephanie Venier, who raced downhill for Austria’s bronze medalists, is now retired.
It’s a beautiful day here for the team combined. Some light snow was falling this morning, but that’s stopped, and it’s now sunny. There are some clouds, but they are high enough that they shouldn’t affect visibility.
The team combined event consists of two Alpine skiing disciplines, with one team member skiing a downhill run and another skiing a slalom run. The cumulative fastest times from both runs added together wins.
Country, followed by downhill skier and slalom skier
France: Romane Miradoli and Marie LamureAustria: Nina Ortlieb and Katharina GallhuberAustria: Ariane Raedler and Katharina HuberSwitzerland: Janine Schmitt and Melanie MeillardSwitzerland: Delia Durrer and Eliane ChristenItaly: Laura Pirovano and Martina PeterliniSlovenia: Ilka Stuhec and Ana Bucik JoganUSA: Jackie Wiles and Paula MoltzanItaly: Sofia Goggia and Lara Della MeaItaly: Nicol Delago and Anna TrockerAustria: Cornelia Huetter and Katharina TruppeNorway: Kajsa Vickhoff Lie and Bianca Bakke WesthoffGermany: Kira Weidle-Winkelmann and Emma AicherUSA: Breezy Johnson and Mikaela ShiffrinAustria: Mirjam Puchner and Lisa HoerhagerSwitzerland: Jasmine Flury and Wendy HoldenerSwitzerland: Corinne Suter and Camille RastUSA: Isabella Wright and Nina O’BrienItaly: Nadia Delago and Giada D’AntonioFrance: Laura Gauche and Marion ChevrierCanada: Valerie Grenier and Laurence St-GermainFrance: Camille Cerutti and Caitlin McFarlaneUSA: Keely Cashman and AJ HurtCzechia: Barbora Novakova and Martina DubovskaCzechia: Elisa Maria Negri and Alena LabastovaCanada: Cassidy Gray and Ali NullmeyerArgentina: Nicole Begue and Francesca Baruzzi FarriolSlovakia: Katarina Srobova and Petra VlhovaWhat time is the Olympic women’s team combined event?
The downhill portion of the team combined is scheduled for 4:30 a.m. ET (10:30 local), while slalom runs are scheduled to start at 8 a.m. ET (2 p.m. local).
What TV channel is Olympic women’s team combined on?
Both the downhill and the slalom portions of the women’s team combined will be broadcast live on USA Network.
Will there be a live stream of the Olympic women’s team combined?
Both the downhill and the slalom portions of the women’s team combined can be streamed on Peacock or on NBCOlympics.com (must sign on with your cable or satellite provider).