COLORADO SPRINGS, Co. — Downhill skier Breezy Johnson has received a 14-month ban for three violations of anti-doping rules and is unable to compete until December.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced late Monday the suspension for Johnson due to her failure to fulfill the whereabouts requirements. Athletes must provide a one-hour period each day when they are available for no-notice testing and update their location details.
A ban of up to two years can be imposed if an athlete accrues three whereabouts issues, such as missed tests or inaccurate location information, within a 12-month timeframe.
Johnson’s whereabouts failures occurred on Oct. 29, 2022, then June 13, 2023 and Oct. 10, 2023, according to USADA. A seven-time podium finisher on the World Cup circuit, she left the tour in December while under investigation.
USADA stated the 14-month suspension for the 28-year-old Johnson was an appropriate punishment given the “relatively low degree of fault in the circumstances of the case.”
Johnson did not race on the World Cup last season and the ban ending on Dec. 9 will not cause her to miss any competitions next season focused on her specialty downhill and super-G events.
The USADA ruling can be appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Ski and Snowboard Federation to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Johnson’s racing career peaked in a one-year span through December 2021, which included three second-place finishes and four third-place results in World Cup downhills.
She was absent from the 2022 Beijing Olympics due to a knee injury sustained three weeks before the Games.