Italy’s Sofia Goggia Claims Victory in Super-G with a Little Help from Friend Lindsey Vonn at World Cup in Beaver Creek, CO

Julia Schneemann | | Post Tag for Industry NewsIndustry News
Lindsey Vonn claimed victory in the Super-G at Beaver Creek, Colorado. | Image: FIS Ski Facebook

Today, Sunday, December 15, saw the continuation of the women’s speed events at Beaver Creek, Colorado, with a Super-G event. Victory in the Super-G went to Italy’s Sofia Goggia, who claimed her first victory post-injury. Guiding the Italian to her victory was none other than legendary Lindsey Vonn, who had started as forerunner on the famous Birds of Prey course. While most other athletes were glued to a TV monitor to gather clues on the course from other competitors, Goggia relied on the advice from one skier alone: her long-time friend  Lindsey Vonn, who was giving her feedback on the course over the phone.

Nearly six years after her last World Cup race, the 82-time winner and queen of Downhill, Lindsey Vonn, had returned to the World Cup circuit as a forerunner—a role that allowed her to inspect the course and offer insight from the slope. For Goggia, Vonn’s advice wasn’t just tactical; it was gospel. “All the other girls were watching the TV, and I was on the phone with Lindsey,” Goggia said after her victory. “She was explaining the course to me, and I said, ‘Thanks!’ I really trust her. What she says is the Bible.”

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The call proved prophetic. Goggia, skiing with characteristic fearlessness, won the Super G in 1:03.90 minutes, finishing nearly half a second ahead of the pre-race favorite, Lara Gut-Behrami. Goggia’s mastery on the course set by her coach, Giovanni Feltrin, was a blend of Downhill precision and Super G finesse—a performance honed through grit and shaped by a bond between two athletes who understand the razor-thin margin between glory and pain.

In her native Italy, Sofia Goggia is known as ‘La Regina della Velocita’—the Queen of Speed. | Image: FIS Ski Facebook

Goggia and Vonn’s friendship stretches back years, forged through countless battles with injury and relentless comebacks. Both have endured fractured bones, torn ligaments, and surgeries that would deter most. It’s a shared language of resilience. “She understands my state of mind,” Goggia said of Vonn following her injury in February this year. “People who can understand what you’re experiencing the best are those who’ve been through the same things. When you’re talking to them about something, you speak the same language, and they understand quickly.”

That shared experience came full circle on Sunday. Vonn as a forerunner relayed key insights to Goggia, helping her refine her strategy for the technical, high-speed course. For Goggia, the victory felt like a continuation of the support Vonn offered during her recovery from a leg fracture earlier this year. “We are really good friends—you have to give back what the other gave you,” Goggia said, hinting she’d be ready to return the favor should Vonn need it for her comeback to competitive racing at Corviglia in St. Moritz, Switzerland, next week, December 21 and 22.

Rounding out the podium with Goggia in first and Gut-Behrami in second was Austria’s Ariane Rädler, who claimed her second career podium, eeking out teammate Cornelia Hütter—yesterday’s winner—by a mere 0.05 seconds.

Best skier for Team USA was again Lauren Macuga, who had skied into career-best fourth place in the Downhill yesterday. Macuga finished the Super-G today in 12th place, 1.40 seconds behind Goggia, while teammate Keely Cashman claimed 21st place. Having started the Super-G in bib 44, this awarded Cashman the Stifel Bibbo award which goes to the skier that advances the most positions based on their bib number. Meanwhile, Breezy Johnson also managed to gain FIS points with 28th place, however outside the top 30 spots were U.S. athletes Tricia Mangan in 37th, Isabella Wright in 40th, and Haley Cutler in 42nd.

The women’s races continue next week in Corviglia, Switzerland, with two Super-G events.

The Super-G podium at Beaver Creek: Sofia Goggia 1st, Lara Gut-Behrami 2nd, Ariane Rädler 3rd. | Image: FIS Ski Facebook

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