Industry News
After a surprise podium finish in bib 27 on Friday, February 28, Germany’s Emma Aicher proved her breakthrough performance was no fluke by claiming her first-ever World Cup victory on Saturday, March 1. The 21-year-old German, who had secured her maiden podium just a day earlier, stunned the field again by edging out the USA’s Lauren Macuga by just 0.03 seconds. Austria’s Cornelia Hütter, Friday’s winner, rounded out the podium in third place.
The race was opened by Italy’s Elena Curtoni, who set the benchmark time for the Olympiabakken course at Kvitfjell, Norway, with 1:33.47 minutes. Ilka Stuhec, starting second, immediately raised the bar, beating Curtoni’s time by more than a second. But it was the third skier down, Lauren Macuga, who truly shook up the standings. The 22-year-old American delivered an exceptional run, crossing the finish line in 1:31.72 and establishing what seemed to be an unshakable lead.
One by one, top contenders fell short of Macuga’s mark. Cornelia Hütter, wearing bib 8, looked strong in the upper section but lost momentum in the lower half, finishing 0.16 seconds back. Italy’s trio of speed specialists—Federica Brignone, Laura Pirovano, and Sofia Goggia—also came close, but their times of 0.30, 0.31, and 0.33 seconds behind Macuga weren’t enough to take the lead.
Then came Aicher. The young German, who had finished second the day before, attacked the course with confidence. She kept close to Macuga all the way down, carving a tight line through the S-turn mid-course where others had gone wide. At the final intermediate split, she was still trailing by 0.11 seconds. But a perfect approach into the last jump, a controlled flight, and blistering top speed of 126.5 kilometers per hour (78.6 miles per hour) through the speed trap gave her the final edge. She crossed the line 0.03 seconds ahead of Macuga, crushing the American’s hopes of a first Downhill victory.
“It is unbelievable,” said Aicher. “I didn’t think this was going to happen so soon, especially in Downhill. I thought maybe in Slalom, but I’m really happy.” Aicher is the only athlete on the World Cup circuit to compete across all four disciplines after Mikaela Shiffrin’s decision to forego Downhill events this season.
Aicher’s win made her the first German woman to claim a World Cup Downhill victory since Viktoria Rebensburg in 2020 and the first to win in Kvitfjell since Katja Seizinger’s Giant Slalom triumph in 1996. “It’s crazy that I’m one of them now — it’s weird,” Aicher admitted. She also joined Lauren Macuga, Camille Rast, and Zrinka Ljutic as first-time winners on the women’s World Cup circuit of the 2024-25 season.
Breezy Johnson, who had finished third on Friday, placed 10th, 0.62 seconds behind Aicher, making her the second-fastest American behind Macuga. Jacqui Wiles finished 14th, while Lindsey Vonn took 16th. Haley Cutler, in 30th, earned her first career FIS points in a World Cup race. Keely Cashman and Tricia Mangan finished 39th and 40th, respectively, while Isabella Wright recorded a DNF.
The action at Kvitfjell continues tomorrow with a Super-G race.
