In La Thuile, Italy, the World Cup super-G saw German skiing sensation Emma Aicher claim a thrilling victory on a shortened course on Thursday. This marked Aicher’s second career win, as she narrowly defeated Italy’s Sofia Goggia by a mere 0.06 seconds. Federica Brignone, also racing near her hometown in the Aosta Valley, had a challenging but successful run, securing third place, 0.39 seconds behind Aicher and edging out Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland by 0.08 seconds to further close the gap in the super-G standings.
The American Lauren Macuga, holding a bronze from the recent world championships, finished in fifth, 0.55 seconds back. During her run, Brignone had a mishap that nearly cost her balance, yet she managed to regain composure, navigating the course with great determination despite almost crashing after catching a gate with her arm. At the finish area, she was seen icing her hand but expressed relief over not having a more severe fall. “I wanted too much… in front of my crowd,” Brignone admitted, adding that the gate mishap could have been more detrimental.
Gut-Behrami, who led before the final sections, fell behind Brignone as she lost 0.17 seconds in the concluding stretch. She voiced her concern over organizers choosing to run the race on a softened slope due to heavy snowfall, deeming it not ideal for skiing or viewing due to safety risks. “Everyone is just trying to have a race, the condition doesn’t matter,” Gut-Behrami commented, questioning the prioritization of safety under the given conditions.
Two remaining super-G races are scheduled before the end of the season. The next contest is on Friday, with the season finale set for March 23 at Sun Valley, Idaho. Each victory will offer 100 crucial points. Gut-Behrami, a five-time super-G season titleholder, faced off against Brignone, who seeks to clinch her second overall World Cup title. Despite recent challenges, including two DNFs in giant slalom rounds, Brignone has consistently finished in the top five in her last 16 completed World Cup races.
American skiing veteran Lindsey Vonn had an early mishap, sliding out and losing a ski in the process. However, she appeared unharmed and resumed skiing, marking her comeback season at age 40 after a six-year hiatus. This year featured her return to the circuit after undergoing significant knee surgery.
Aicher’s triumph was a continuation of her success this season following a downhill victory in Norway just weeks prior. Her only other top-10 super-G finish this season made Thursday’s victory the first for a German in this discipline in six years. Her early start position in the race proved advantageous, given the deteriorating course conditions, which she acknowledged contributed to her success: “The bib was a big help today,” said Aicher.
The originally scheduled downhill event was canceled because necessary training runs could not occur due to unusable parts of the upper course plagued by snowfall. Based on a reserve start point situated lower on the mountain, the super-G course saw racers complete the event in approximately 58 seconds.
Brignone’s performance prompted a temporary race delay as a course worker required medical evacuation by helicopter. Additionally, Cornelia Huetter had a severe fall, losing balance and sliding into safety nets; however, she was unscathed, quickly rising from the incident.
