American skier Breezy Johnson told CBS News that she treats her replacement gold medal carefully after the original one she won won the women’s downhill event on Winter Games 2026 in Italy on Saturday, broken.

“I think because they were so heavy, the ribbons couldn’t really hold them,” Johnson said, calling it “a little disappointing” that Olympic medalists had to watch their over-enthusiastic celebrations because that’s “all anyone wants to do.”

Johnson said she was originally told she wouldn’t get her original medal back, but that was fixed and she plans to keep it and exchange it for a replacement. She also plans to knit a special purse to keep it safe.

“I’m an avid knitter,” Johnson told CBS News correspondent Seth Doane on Wednesday. “I knit a new cap or headband for every race. It’s a big superstition of mine.”

He only wears his special hand-knitted racing accessories once, for their race, after which they are retired.

“They’re piling up in my bags, but I’ve been wanting to auction some of them for a long time and get people to buy them and donate the proceeds to charity,” she said. – I have nothing else to do with them.

When asked about her views on representing the United States, given political discussion around the Games, Johnson refused to go down that slope.

“There’s been enough rhetoric. I personally prefer to focus on my skiing. I personally don’t know anyone who has changed their political affiliation because of something said by a celebrity or person. So, personally, I prefer to focus on my skiing and donate the money I make to charities that I feel are actually doing the work that I support.”

Despite winning the first gold medal for the USA team in Italy, the Milano-Cortina Winter Games were not a complete success for Johnson.

She failed to reach the podium after skiing with teammate Mikaela Shiffrin in the team slalom on Tuesday. After the race, Johnson could be seen talking to Shiffrin, giving what appeared to be a pep talk.

“I said, ‘I know you did your best and it’s going to be OK,'” Johnson told CBS News of the private conversation. “I don’t hold any of that against anybody because I know the sport. There are so many variables, and there were variables yesterday. They weren’t necessarily in our favor, we came out and we both did our best, and it didn’t happen, but that’s OK.”

Johnson said she generally handles the pressure of competing at the highest level of her sport pretty well — and understands that such competition, and such extreme speeds, come with great danger.

After Team USA’s Lindsay Vonn was injured in a fall in Saturday’s downhill, which Johnson won, she said her 41-year-old world champion teammate texted her.

“She said, ‘congratulations,'” Johnson said. “You know, I know it’s hard what she’s going through and I think she’s dealing with a lot. So we haven’t talked, like, on the phone or anything, but I wish her the best.”

Johnson said she also understands what drove Vonn to compete in these Games just a week after tearing her ACL.

“Part of what breaks your heart is that you’re used to defying the odds. You’re used to writing fairy-tale endings. And the reality is that these things are made into movies because they’re so unlikely. And unfortunately, you can’t always – it’s not always like the movies,” she said.

“It’s hard to understand what drives people to do it, but when you do it well, it’s a pretty amazing feeling,” Johnson said, adding that viewers can share the excitement: “It’s Formula 1 on ice with giant knives. Who doesn’t want to watch that?”