Taylor Swift’s Influence: Josie Johnson Clinches Historic Silver at Youth Olympics with Record Jumps

16-year-old ski jumper Josie Johnson makes history at the 2024 Youth Winter Games, securing Team USA’s first-ever medal in the women’s normal hill event with a silver.

Josie Johnson, the 16-year-old ski jumper from Park City, Utah, made waves at the 2024 Youth Winter Games in Gangwon, South Korea, securing a historic silver medal for Team USA in the women’s normal hill event. Johnson’s remarkable performance marked Team USA’s first-ever medal in this category.

Taylor Swift played an unexpected role in Johnson’s success, as she revealed in a post-jump interview. Feeling nervous before the jumps, Johnson shared that thinking about Taylor Swift, specifically recalling Swift’s dance moves from the Reputation Tour, helped her stay focused and calm.

Johnson’s exceptional jumps included a 100-meter leap for 99.2 points in the first round and a 107-meter jump for 108.0 points in the second round, totaling an impressive 207.2 points.

Anders Johnson, former Olympic ski jumper and current sports director of Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined, commended Josie Johnson’s “incredible” performance, emphasizing that these were her best jumps of the season. Johnson expressed immense pride in Josie and the entire team.

Slovenia’s Taja Bodlaj secured gold, and Ingvild Synnoeve Midtskogen of Norway claimed bronze on the medal podium. The Youth Winter Olympics, featuring athletes aged 14 to 18, will continue until Feb. 1.