Lindsey Vonn, at 41 years old, continues to demonstrate unmatched consistency in finishing on the podium at the World Cup speed circuit. In a recent super-G event in Tarvisio, Italy, Vonn secured a second-place finish despite challenging visibility conditions, marking her seventh podium in eight races this season. Notably, no other skier has achieved more than three podium finishes in speed events, with Vonn’s lowest result being fourth place. Even Mikaela Shiffrin, who boasts seven podiums in 14 technical races, hasn’t shown the same level of consistency across all disciplines.
Vonn’s stellar performances position her as a strong contender for medals in both downhill and super-G at the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, set to commence in less than three weeks. During the event, Vonn was narrowly defeated by Germany’s Emma Aicher, who is 19 years her junior. Aicher clinched victory with a time of 1:14.04, edging out Vonn by 0.27 seconds, while former Olympic champion Ester Ledecka claimed third place, trailing by 0.94 seconds at 1:14.98.
Despite the challenging visibility, Vonn expressed satisfaction with her podium finish, stating, “It was tough conditions with the visibility but I’m really happy to be on the podium again.” While Vonn was close to securing another win, she accepted the outcome, noting, “I think I’ll save the hundredths for Cortina.”
In other notable performances, Val Grenier of St-Isidore, Ont., achieved a 14th place finish out of 53 contenders with a time of 1:15.59 in the super-G event, while teammate Cassidy Gray of Panorama, B.C., faced disqualification for unspecified reasons.
Alice Robinson, the New Zealand skier who triumphed in two giant slaloms and a super-G this season, encountered a crash at the final gate during the event, but fortunately, she quickly recovered without sustaining serious injuries. The challenging fog in the upper section of the Prampero course presented difficulties for skiers navigating the track.
Aicher’s victory, her second of the season, solidified her position as a formidable competitor, with this marking her fourth career win spanning various disciplines. Expressing her satisfaction with the race, Aicher, born to a Swedish mother and a German father, stated, “I’m happy that I could push through and have no mistakes for once.”
Additionally, Ledecka, the Czech racer who achieved Olympic gold medals in snowboarding and skiing at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, secured her first podium finish of the season. Romane Miradoli of France secured fourth place, while Keely Cashman of the United States achieved a career-best performance with a fifth-place finish.
The women’s circuit will proceed with the Kronplatz giant slalom in Italy, followed by the final set of speed races in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on January 30-31 leading up to the Olympics. In other news, Italian skier Federica Brignone, the defending overall World Cup champion, is set to return to competition in the Kronplatz race after recovering from leg injuries sustained in April. The Italian team will confirm her participation after assessing her performance on the course on Monday.
