Utahn Credits Taylor Swift After Earning Silver Medal At Youth Olympics
Jan 22, 2024, 5:11 PM
Josie Johnson of the USA competes during the Large Hill of the FIS Women's Ski Jumping Sapporo at Okurayama Jump Stadium on January 14, 2024 in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. (Photo by Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images)
(Photo by Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Youth Olympic ski jumper and Park City’s Josie Johnson credited Taylor Swift for helping her capture the silver medal at the 2024 Youth Winter Games.
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The Youth Winter Games are currently being held in Gangwon, South Korea, and will run until February 1. The Youth Olympics Games are for athletes between the ages of 14 and 18.
Johnson won Silver after competing in the women’s normal hill event at the Games. The 16-year-old became the first member of Team USA to win Silver in the event.
After the competition, Johnson credited Swift for helping her during the competition.
She said that she thought of Swift’s dance from her “Reputation” album tour and it helped calm her nerves before her women’s normal hill run.
“I was thinking about Taylor Swift,” Johnson said. “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.”
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In the women’s normal hill, Johnson recorded a 100.0 meter jump for 99.2 points during his first run. For her second run, Johnson posted a meter jump of 107.0 for 108.0 points. Her total was 207.2 points, good for second place and a silver medal.
“What Josie just did was incredible, and shows just how bright the future is for ski jumping in the United States,” U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s ski jumping and nordic combined sport director Anders Johnson said of the Park City athlete. “Those were the best two jumps she’s had all season, and to do it in an Olympic event is simply amazing. I couldn’t be more proud of Josie and the entire team.”
The fourth edition of the Youth Winter @Olympics opened in Gangwon, South Korea.
The Games are for athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 and medal competition will run until February 1.#Gangwon2024 #YouthOlympics
📷: Getty Images pic.twitter.com/zu1CwcIB4r— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 22, 2024
Taja Bodlaj of Slovenia captured Gold and Synnoeve Midtskogen of Norway earned the bronze medal in the event.
Kyle Ireland is a Sports Producer and Locals in the NFL Insider for sports.ksl.com. Listen to Ireland on Yards After College: An NFL Podcast. Follow him on X (@kyleireland), Threads (@kyleirelandksl), and Instagram (@kyleirelandksl).
