KVITFJELL, Norway – Amid intense competition on Sunday, Federica Brignone claimed victory in the women’s World Cup super-G, bolstering her position at the top of the overall standings.
In a nail-biting conclusion, Brignone managed to edge out Lara Gut-Behrami by a mere 0.06 seconds, despite the Swiss athlete being the defending overall champion. Gut-Behrami, initially setting a pace for victory, veered wide on a turn, skiing into softer snow halfway through her run. She notably trailed Brignone by six-tenths at the intermediate split but nearly regained the lead with a strong finishing effort.
Sofia Goggia, another formidable Italian skier and teammate of Brignone, secured the third spot just 0.09 seconds behind. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Alice Robinson came in fourth, trailing by 0.22 seconds. Final results remained provisional due to ongoing races from lower-ranked competitors.
American skiing legend Lindsey Vonn finished 1.11 seconds off the leading time after what initially appeared to be a promising endeavor. Vonn matched Brignone at the first intermediate mark and was only 0.13 seconds behind halfway through her descent. However, she encountered a bump during a left turn which disrupted her trajectory, though she impressively remained on course.
Marking her return to competitive skiing at the age of 40, Vonn, who boasts a record 28 career super-G victories, competed this season equipped with a new titanium knee after a six-year hiatus.
Winning her 35th World Cup race, Brignone widened her lead over Gut-Behrami in the overall standings by 251 points, with just seven races remaining in the season. With a race win valued at 100 points, every contest remains crucial. Gut-Behrami, however, maintained the lead in the super-G standings, holding a 55-point advantage over Brignone.
The competition took place on a clear, crisp day, where the course’s challenging setup presented difficulties, particularly for early starters, as evidenced by three of the first four racers skiing out of contention.
Among those struggling with the course was Emma Aicher, the young German talent who celebrated her first World Cup victory during Saturday’s downhill race. Following closely, American racer Lauren Macuga, who claimed second place in the downhill, ended up finishing 0.84 seconds behind Brignone, placing her outside the top 10.
Stephanie Venier, reigning super-G world champion, lagged by 0.39 seconds and held the eighth position. The Austrian competitor had opted out of the previous two days’ downhill races to regain her health.
