On Friday, without Lindsey Vonn or Mikaela Shiffrin competing in a World Cup downhill event, Emma Aicher took advantage of the opportunity to close the gap on the American stars in the season-long standings. Aicher, the silver medalist in the Olympic downhill, finished second, just 0.01 seconds behind first-time winner Laura Pirovano. This pushed Breezy Johnson, the Olympic champion, down to third place and narrowed Vonn’s lead in the downhill points race to just 14 points with two races remaining.
Vonn’s remarkable World Cup season at the age of 41 was cut short by a serious crash at the Milan Cortina Olympics that injured her left leg. Aicher’s performance on Friday earned her 80 World Cup points, also reducing Shiffrin’s lead in the overall standings to 139 points ahead of another downhill race scheduled for Saturday.
The battle for the giant crystal globe trophy is intensifying with eight races remaining, and Shiffrin may participate in a super-G event on Sunday, aiming for her sixth World Cup overall title. Friday’s race was a replacement for the canceled downhill event five weeks ago at the Swiss resort Crans-Montana, which was halted due to Vonn’s injury.
Pirovano, the 28-year-old Italian, claimed her first World Cup victory on home snow, marking her first win and podium finish in her 125th World Cup start. Known for her consistent performance, Pirovano had achieved top-10 results throughout the season and placed sixth in the Olympic downhill at Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Expressing her joy, Pirovano stated, “It’s unbelievable what happened. The confidence was there, I knew I was skiing well. Today it seems is the day.” This victory propelled her to third place in the downhill standings, trailing Vonn by 64 points and Aicher by 50 points.
Looking ahead, Pirovano mentioned, “I don’t want to think about it too much. What will be, will be.” The final downhill event is scheduled for March 21 at the World Cup finals week in Norway. Pirovano was one of the few racers to surpass speeds of 130 km/h on the optimal racing day.
Despite a promising start, former Olympic champions Corinne Suter and Sofia Goggia lost ground on the 2.3-kilometer course, with Suter finishing eighth and Goggia placing 17th in the competition.
