At the World Alpine Skiing Championships, American skiers Mikaela Shiffrin and Breezy Johnson made history by clinching the first-ever team combined race. This impressive victory marked Shiffrin’s record-tying 15th career world medal, solidifying her status with a groundbreaking eighth gold medal in the modern era.

Johnson, who triumphed in the downhill world title just days prior, showcased her skills with the fourth-fastest downhill time. Meanwhile, Shiffrin secured the third-fastest time in the slalom during her second race after recovering from a two-month injury hiatus caused by a giant slalom accident on November 30.

The duo defeated Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami and Wendy Holdener by a mere 39 hundredths of a second, presenting a thrilling finish to the event.

The team combined event made its debut at this year’s championships and will be featured in the upcoming Olympics, taking the place of the previous individual combined format. Each nation can enter up to four pairs, consisting of one downhill skier and one slalom skier, competing in separate runs. The overall rankings are based on the combined times of the participants.

ALPINE SKIING WORLDS: Results | Broadcast Schedule

“Thank you for this unforgettable memory, which is the highlight of my entire medal collection,” Shiffrin expressed to Johnson during a reception later that day. This latest achievement brings Shiffrin’s total to 15 medals from 17 individual race starts at the world championships since 2013.

Shiffrin, who tied the all-time championship record with her 15th medal, had already broken the modern era record since the championships transitioned to a biennial format post-World War II. Historically, world championships were held annually in the 1930s.

In addition, Shiffrin surpassed the previous record shared with notable skiers, having now accumulated eight gold medals, previously tied with Toni Sailer, Marielle Goitschel, Anja Pärson, and Marcel Hirscher.

This competition marked Shiffrin’s second outing since returning from an injury involving torn oblique muscles sustained during her November crash.

Just days before the event, a partnership between Shiffrin and Johnson would have seemed improbable for both athletes.

The U.S. pairings were established based on a “data-driven selection criteria” identified by U.S. Ski and Snowboard, which involved pairing the top downhill skier with the top slalom skier according to their season-best performances, thus forming four potential teams.

“I’m genuinely inspired by this event, which I didn’t expect,” Shiffrin shared on Peacock. “The atmosphere of coming together and working as a team was incredibly cool.”

Initially, Shiffrin intended to skip the team combined event in favor of training for Thursday’s giant slalom—her first since the accident. However, she revealed on Monday that she didn’t feel ready to compete in the GS, which allowed her to participate in the combined event. Coaches indicated that she would be teamed with Johnson if she chose to race.

“Breezy encouraged me by saying, ‘Let’s do this for the fun of it; it’s not about the medals,’” Shiffrin recounted. “Since Courchevel (her return to racing on January 30), I’ve been feeling the fear, but I wanted to be here. However, I’ve struggled with that feeling in recent weeks, and at times it felt overwhelmingly scary.”

Looking ahead, Shiffrin is expected to compete in Saturday’s slalom race at the championships.

Johnson, currently ranked second among U.S. downhill competitors this season behind Lauren Macuga, celebrated her first major career victory by securing the world title in the downhill just three days prior.

“Today felt more pressure-filled since I wanted to deliver for someone who has significantly impacted my career,” Johnson stated.

Shiffrin and Johnson have been skiers together since they were 11 years old and are both currently 29.

“When we first met, I was told my intense dedication might intimidate others, and I needed to lighten up,” Johnson reflected on Shiffrin during her birthday tribute in 2020. “Then I met Mikaela, a serious, driven girl no one could stop talking about. I finally saw what a mini World Cup racer looked like.”

The other U.S. pairs in the competition finished fourth (Macuga, who recorded the fastest downhill run, paired with Paula Moltzan), tenth (Jackie Wiles and Katie Hensien), and sixteenth (Lindsey Vonn and AJ Hurt).

Vonn continued her comeback pursuit following a five-year retirement, placing 21st in downhill, 2.51 seconds behind Macuga. She plans to retire definitively after the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, should she qualify for the team, marking the team combined as her final world championships event.

Vonn will not participate in the upcoming giant slalom or slalom, focusing instead on the speed events: downhill (15th last Saturday) and super-G (where she did not finish after an early gate mishap).

The championships will proceed with the men’s team combined event on Wednesday, airing live at 4 and 7:15 a.m. ET on Peacock.

Breezy Johnson, who started skiing in her driveway, is poised to follow in the footsteps of Lindsey Vonn as the next extraordinary U.S. downhill racer.

FIS Alpine Skiing World Championships 2025 Results — Women’s Team Combined

Gold: Breezy Johnson/Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) — 2:40.89
Silver: Lara Gut-Behrami/Wendy Holdener (SUI) — +0.39
Bronze: Stephanie Venier/Katharina Truppe (AUT) — +0.53
4. Lauren Macuga/Paula Moltzan (USA) — +0.64
5. Mirjam Puchner/Katharina Liensberger (AUT) — +0.69
6. Cornelia Huetter/Katharina Huber (AUT) — +0.75
7. Corinne Suter/Camille Rast (SUI) — +0.76
8. Nicol Delago/Marta Rossetti (ITA) — +0.93
9. Ilka Stuhec/Andreja Slokar (SLO) — +1.08
10. Jackie Wiles/Katie Hensien (USA) — +1.55
16. Lindsey Vonn/AJ Hurt (USA) — +2.98