Shiffrin, Johnson win gold in historic team combined event at World Championships

Mikaela Shiffrin and Breezy Johnson secured the gold medal in the inaugural team combined event at the Alpine Skiing World Championships in Saalbach, Austria, marking Shiffrin's 15th world championship medal and Johnson's second gold of the event. The U.S. team overcame a fourth-place standing after the downhill leg, with Shiffrin achieving the third-best slalom time to clinch victory with a total time of 2:40.89, finishing 0.39 seconds ahead of Switzerland. Johnson, who recently returned from a ban and won the downhill event just days earlier, finished fourth in the downhill segment but set the stage for Shiffrin's strong slalom run. The Austrian team took home the bronze, while the U.S. second team of Lauren Macuga and Paula Moltzan finished fourth. Shiffrin, who has dominated the sport with 99 World Cup victories, expressed her excitement about competing alongside Johnson, whom she described as a 'legend.' Despite the win, Shiffrin has opted out of the upcoming giant slalom due to PTSD from a previous injury, but plans to compete in the individual slalom later this week.