Sofia Goggia won the women’s World Cup downhill in Zauchensee on Saturday and celebrated her 24th World Cup victory. It was her first in the fastest discipline of the current season. 0.10 seconds behind, Stephanie Venier made her podium comeback in the downhill following almost four years, Mirjam Puchner finished third with the Italian Nicol Delago (+0.34). Super-G winner Cornelia Hütter did not make it into the top 15.
Venier explained that she felt “safe and brutally comfortable once more” on the skis. On February 21, 2020 in Crans Montana she was third downhill, last season on March 5th she was second in Super-G in Kvitfjell – there have not been more podium places in the World Cup in recent years. Puchner was surprised by her good placement; it hadn’t seemed so good to her. “Drive certain passages by train, which I often haven’t done,” she planned.
Image: BARBARA GINDL (APA)
Hütter was unable to improve following her triumph the day before; following 40 runners, she was 16th (+1.40). She simply skied poorly. “I have to say to be honest, my nerves were a bit frayed today. Yesterday’s news comes out today. My emotions got the best of me,” said the Styrian. Ariane Rädler, however, was in the top ten; she was initially in seventh place (+0.64).
Goggia reacted very emotionally to her success at the finish; she explained in a TV interview that the zero in the Super-G the day before had been “very hard” for her. Several serious falls caused interruptions, including the Norwegian Kajsa Vickhoff Lie and the German Emma Aicher. Another Super-G is on the program on Sunday.
