Olympic ski jumper Josie Johnson soared to victory over the weekend in the women's normal hill event at the 2024 Youth Winter Games in Gangwon, South Korea, taking home Team USA's first-ever medal, a silver, in the event.
The 16-year-old from Park City, Utah, credited Taylor Swift with helping her achieve the history-making performance.
Johnson landed a 100-meter jump for 99.2 points in the first round and followed that up with a 107-meter jump for 108.0 points in the second round for a total of 207.2.
In a post-jump interview, Johnson was asked whether she was nervous going into the jumps knowing she could finally medal for the U.S. The teen acknowledged feeling the pressure, but said she was able to hold her nerves by keeping her mind on other things.
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“I was thinking about Taylor Swift,” Johnson quipped. “Specifically, I was thinking about her Reputation dance from the Reputation Tour. That’s just what I do sometimes when I’m a bit nervous. I just do some of the dances in my head."
Anders Johnson, the former Olympic ski jumper who was recently tapped at the sports director of Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined, praised Johnson's "incredible" performance.
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“Those were the best two jumps she’s had all season, and to do it in an Olympic event is simply amazing," Johnson said. "I couldn’t be more proud of Josie and the entire team.”
Slovenia's Taja Bodlaj took gold in the event and Ingvild Synnoeve Midtskogen of Norway came in third place for bronze on the medal podium.
The Youth Winter Olympics, for athletes ages 14 to 18, run through Feb. 1.
