Today, March 6, saw the first of two downhill races in Val di Fassa, Italy, with the women’s speed field tackling the La VolatA course in a race that reshaped the battle for the season-long Downhill Crystal Globe. The victory went to Laura Pirovano—the first of her career—while Emma Aicher was in close second, just 0.01 seconds behind the Italian. Rounding out the podium was Olympic gold medallist Breezy Johnson.
The race was opened by Ilka Štuhec, who is currently the oldest ski racer on the circuit after Federica Brignone’s decision to withdraw from the remainder of the season. She set the pace at 1:21.81. The tricky part about being the first ski racer is not knowing if this is a high benchmark or not, but it turned out to be a highly competitive time as several top-ranked skiers failed to unseat the Slovenian ski racer—ultimately it was a 7th place for Štuhec on the day.
The first ski racer to beat Štuhec was Germany’s Kira Weidle-Winkelmann in bib 7, who is having the best season of her career. Before today’s race, Weidle-Winkelmann was ranked third in downhill behind her teammate Emma Aicher and the injured Lindsey Vonn, after two second places and a slew of top-10 finishes. She crossed the finish line 0.09 seconds ahead of Štuhec—a narrow gap.
However, her lead did not last long. Italy’s Laura Pirovano in bib 8 showed what is possible on the La VolatA course in Val di Fassa, edging Weidle-Winkelmann by 0.32 seconds.
Next up was Olympic champion Breezy Johnson, who certainly was a favorite for the podium today. With a strong top section, the American ski racer put herself in the lead on the top section by about a tenth of a second, but lost time on the lower section, crossing the finish line 0.29 seconds behind Pirovano.
Austria’s Conny Hütter, who won earlier this season in Val d’Isère, France, put her best efforts into the pursuit, but like Johnson lost time on the lower section of the course, slotting in between Weidle-Winkelmann and Štuhec.
All eyes were on Germany’s Emma Aicher in bib 11, who won Olympic silver and is currently ranked second behind Vonn in the downhill standings. The rising star of the World Cup circuit—who has skied into the top six in the last five downhill races—was slightly slower on the top section but created speed in the second sector. It was tight, super tight, but ultimately she finished just 0.01 seconds behind Pirovano, claiming second place.
Norway’s Kajsa Vickhoff Lie, who had been second in training the day before, had a fantastic top section that saw her 0.10 seconds ahead of Pirovano, but she went a bit wide on the lower section and lost time, eventually finishing behind Štuhec.
With only three top-15 skiers—who benefit from a separate bib lottery—left to start, a podium for Pirovano began to look within reach. Austria’s Mirjam Puchner in bib 13 fell far behind, finishing outside the top 20. USA’s Jacqueline Wileslikewise fell behind the top field after a skid on the top section. This only left Sofia Goggia, the “Queen of Speed,” to shake up the rankings. However, Goggia also fell short, finishing 17th (+0.90 seconds) after several mid-section errors.
The result marks Pirovano’s first-ever World Cup victory—and first podium—on her 125th World Cup start, turning years of consistent results into a breakthrough moment. “Oh my God, I can’t understand. Right now it’s a lot but everything is amazing today,” Pirovano said after the race. “The sun is shining, the slope was amazing. I had a really nice race, attacking every turn.”
The 28-year-old Italian had finished inside the top 10 in all six downhill races this season, along with a fifth place in Super-G and sixth in the team combined at the 2026 Winter Olympics, but had never previously stood on a World Cup podium. “It’s been not easy for sure but I just tried to focus on what I am able to do, on my skiing and to attack 100% every time,” she said. “I knew I was in good condition, so I just tried and tried … and finally something!”
Today’s downhill result dramatically tightens the race for the 2025-26 season FIS Downhill Crystal Globe. With 100 points for the victory, Pirovano moves into third in the standings, 64 points behind Vonn, bumping Weidle-Winkelmann into fourth. Aicher’s runner-up finish earned 80 points, cutting Vonn’s lead at the top to just 14 points.
Aicher remained calm and matter of fact despite the razor-thin margin on Pirovano. “The top was OK. I made some parts better than in training, so I would say an OK race,” she said in her matter-of-fact way. “One-hundredth of a second is nothing.”
With another downhill scheduled in Val di Fassa on Saturday and the final race of the season coming at the World Cup Finals in Lillehammer on March 21, the globe race remains wide open.
Johnson’s third place marked her 10th career World Cup podium. “I’m happy with how I skied today and I felt like I left it all out there,” Johnson said. “I am very excited that there is another chance tomorrow as well.”
Behind Johnson, Wiles finished 11th, continuing a steady run of downhill results this season. Young American Allison Mollin delivered a standout performance as well, finishing 13th for a career-best World Cup result. “I am very happy about today,” Mollin said. “I was focusing on hitting the points that I talked about with my coaches in video and connecting them all.”
Further down the results, Mary Bocock finished 24th, earning her first-ever downhill World Cup points after starting with bib 54 and claiming the team’s Stifel Bibbo Award. Tricia Mangan squeezed into the points, finishing 29th, while Bella Wright, Keely Cashman, and Haley Cutler placed outside the top 30 with a 35th, 38th, and 39th place, respectively.
With another downhill race tomorrow, the pressure is mounting—and the Downhill Crystal Globe could already be within Aicher’s reach by the weekend, though the final verdict will likely come at the season finale in Lillehammer.
