Mikaela Shiffrin clinched an unusual downhill World Cup triumph on Saturday in Switzerland, surpassing super-g winner Sofia Goggia from Friday’s race and elevating her overall victories to 91.
The race came to an abrupt halt after 35 of the 56 competitors when gusty winds emerged, but the results remained valid.
Shiffrin, the American skier, conquered St Moritz’s Corviglia, covering the 2.521-kilometer track in pristine conditions in just 1 minute 28.84 seconds, securing her first downhill win of the season.
Sofia Goggia trailed closely behind by .15 of a second, claiming second place, while another Italian, Federica Brignone, secured the third spot on the podium, just two-hundredths behind.
Among the standout performances was German talent Emma Aicher, securing a career-best sixth place in the discipline.
However, the race was interrupted following a crash involving Austrian skier Elisabeth Reisinger, with the extent of possible injuries remaining unknown at the time.
Shiffrin’s victory marked only her fourth in a downhill event and her third of the season, following earlier triumphs in slalom races at Levi and Killington.
Currently leading the World Cup standings, Shiffrin is aiming for a record-equalling sixth title in a season without Olympics or world championships.
Reflecting on her win, Shiffrin remarked, “It was really great today, I felt great. It went exactly as I had hoped. The challenge was not to think that I had to chase a supposedly ideal line that someone else had skied. I tried to shut that off.”
Another super-g event is set for Sunday in St Moritz, while the men participated in a giant slalom competition in Val d’Ìsere, France, on Saturday.
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