Bill Johnson (skier) - Olympic Triumph

Olympic Triumph

Born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in Brightwood, Oregon, Johnson was a troubled youth who began competitive skiing on nearby Mt. Hood as a means of harnessing his energy. After a run-in with the law at age 17, the juvenile defendant was given the choice between six months in jail or attending the Mission Ridge ski academy in central Washington state, and he chose the latter. His talent in the downhill event eventually landed him a spot on the U.S. Ski Team. Johnson made his World Cup debut in February 1983 and finished sixth in the downhill at St. Anton, Austria.

In 1984, at age 23, Johnson challenged the long-established European domination of downhill ski racing. After mostly undistinguished finishes, his unexpected victory on January 15, 1984 on the storied Lauberhorn course at Wengen, Switzerland, was the first for an American male in World Cup downhill competition.

A month later at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia (now Bosnia), he had promising downhill training runs and boldly predicted his Olympic victory, evoking comparisons to Joe Namath and Muhammad Ali, and irking his European competitors. His gold medal win at Bjelašnica in a time of 1:45.59 edged out silver medalist Peter Müller of Switzerland by 0.27 seconds.