KVITFJELL, Norway — In an exciting conclusion to the women’s World Cup super-G on Sunday, Italian skier Federica Brignone emerged victorious in a closely contested race. Her triumph at this event marked the end of a successful three-race weekend, enabling her to extend her advantage in the overall standings.
Brignone delivered a powerful performance, finishing just 0.06 seconds ahead of reigning overall champion, Lara Gut-Behrami. Reflecting on her run, Brignone expressed surprise at her victory, admitting, “When I came down, I said: ‘No, no, no.’ I had too many mistakes.” She explained the challenge, noting the tricky conditions and her attempt to balance risk with precision.
During earlier downhill events on the same weekend, Brignone also outperformed her Swiss competitor, securing fifth and fourth places. She regarded Sunday’s victory as “the cherry on the cake,” acknowledging some luck due to the narrow margin.
Gut-Behrami looked poised to claim the win but encountered difficulty on a turn, losing time as she skied through softer snow. Despite this setback, she completed the run with a determined finish, nearly closing the gap with Brignone. “It happens all the time this season. I’m skiing well but keep making those mistakes,” Gut-Behrami lamented.
Close behind Brignone and Gut-Behrami were Sofia Goggia of Italy, in third place, trailing by 0.09 seconds, and New Zealand’s Alice Robinson, who finished fourth, just 0.22 seconds back. Meanwhile, Lindsey Vonn, returning to the slopes with a new titanium knee after a six-year pause, came in 16th, 1.11 seconds off the lead. Despite a promising start, a bump threw Vonn off course momentarily, affecting her time.
Brignone’s win, the 35th of her World Cup career, strengthens her lead over Gut-Behrami in the overall standings by 251 points, with seven races remaining. Each race win equates to 100 points. Despite Brignone’s achievement in the overall standings, Gut-Behrami still holds the lead in the super-G standings by 55 points.
Three super-G events are still lined up on the calendar, including two in Italy in a fortnight. Brignone is particularly excited for La Thuile, her home race, expressing high hopes. “La Thuile is my home. All my friends will be there, it’s only 20 minutes from where I live,” Brignone shared. She remains focused on maintaining her speed and risk-taking approach for the remainder of the season.
As for Gut-Behrami, she is cautiously optimistic, opting not to dwell on the point calculations just yet. “If you start counting points now, you have already lost,” she remarked.
Sunday’s race, contested on a bright, clear day, proved challenging, especially for the early starters. The course presented significant difficulties, particularly at the infamous Tommy Moe turn, leading to early exits for several competitors, including Emma Aicher, a German skier and recent World Cup victor in another downhill competition.
American skier Lauren Macuga, coming off a second-place finish behind Aicher, secured a 12th place position, 0.84 seconds from Brignone’s pace. Meanwhile, Stephanie Venier, the super-G world champion representing Austria, claimed the eighth spot after taking a brief break from competing due to illness.
The women’s World Cup now moves to Sweden, where two technical races are set to take place next week in Are.
