After yesterday’s surprise World Cup victory by Laura Pirovano, the Italian ski racer backed it up with another win in the downhill in Val di Fassa, Italy.The 28-year-old had never stood on a World Cup podium until Friday, March 6, when she claimed not only her first podium but in fact the victory on her 125th World Cup start. Today, Pirovano once again stood on top of the podium—and once again relegated a rival to second by a mere 0.01 seconds.
However, today it was not Emma Aicher joining her on the podium but rather Austria’s Conny Hütter. Rounding out the podium was Switzerland’s Corinne Suter, who continues her comeback season, finishing just 0.05 seconds off the leader’s pace.
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“It’s a crazy sport,” Pirovano said after the race. “Unbelievable is the right word for today and yesterday—to win two races as first podiums, and by one hundredth. I tried not to hold back, and when I saw the green light again with one hundredth, it was incredible.” The Italian, who made her World Cup debut in 2015, had started 124 races without a podium before this weekend in the Dolomites.
The race was opened by Ester Ledecká, who set a fast pace of 1:21.86—yesterday’s winning time had been 1:21.40. However, course and snow variations from day to day don’t allow for direct comparison of times in ski racing, so it remained to be seen over the course of the race morning how the time would hold up.
The next few skiers failed to pip Ledecká, but USA’s Breezy Johnson in bib 6 managed to undercut the Czech by 0.31 seconds. Johnson skied aggressively on the increasingly bumpy course and would hold the lead for the next four racers—including Sofia Goggia and Kajsa Vickhoff Lie.
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Then Hütter launched into the lead by an impressive 0.63 seconds, setting what looked like a nearly unbeatable benchmark. “I thought today it might be my day when I crossed the line and saw the dark green,” Hütter said later. “But Lolli [Pirovano] came in with one hundredth. That’s racing.”
Starting 11th, Pirovano needed another near-perfect run on the demanding La VolatA course. Despite feeling fatigued from the emotional victory the day before, she kept her skis smooth through the ruts and powered over the finish line just 0.01 seconds ahead of Hütter. “Yesterday took so much out of me,” Pirovano admitted. “Halfway down I felt so tired. But I just tried to keep attacking.”
All eyes were on the next skier, Emma Aicher in bib 12. After finishing second the day before, the 22-year-old rising star had a chance to move firmly into the lead of the downhill standings. However, she struggled to find speed on the top section and went wide lower down the course. She ultimately finished joint 12th, enough to move past Vonn in the standings earlier in the day but not enough to challenge Pirovano once the Italian secured the victory.
Third place went to Suter in bib 18, who skied outside the top 15 ranked skiers, who benefit from a separate bib lottery, but the Swiss finished just 0.05 seconds behind Pirovano. The Swiss racer said the result reflects a renewed confidence as she returns to form after injuries. “The most important thing for me is to have fun again skiing,” Suter said. “Right now I am getting better, and it makes so much fun to race.”
Team USA had another strong day despite missing the podium. Johnson finished fourth, narrowly missing the top three after setting the early pace. “It was a little bit scrappy,” Johnson said. “I felt like I left it all out there and did my best. The field right now is very competitive as shown by the multitude of different winners.”
Aside from Johnson’s result, several Americans finished inside the points. Jacqueline Wiles claimed 15th, while Bella Wright and Allison Mollin finished 20th and 21st, just 0.10 seconds apart. Haley Cutler rounded out the American points scorers in 28th. Keely Cashman finished 37th, outside the top 30 that earn points, while Tricia Mangan and Mary Bocock recorded DNFs but were reported to be OK.
Wiles said she was pleased with another points finish despite a few costly mistakes. “I was happy with most of my run, but had a couple mistakes that were too costly,” she said. “I’m really excited about the year I’ve had and ready to end it on a high note in Norway.”
The speed race weekend in Val di Fassa concludes with the Super-G on Sunday, March 8, the last speed event before the World Cup Finals.
The result dramatically reshapes the race for the FIS World Cup Downhill Crystal Globe. With another 100 points, Pirovano now leads the standings with 436 points, ahead of Aicher with 408. Injured American legend Lindsey Vonn sits third with 400 points. Aicher’s teammate Kira Weidle-Winkelmann remains in contention with 351 points, while Hütter now sits on 344.
The final downhill of the season will decide the globe at the World Cup Finals in Lillehammer on March 21.
The majority of the season’s Crystal Globes will be decided at the finals in Lillehammer. One title, however, is locked up: Mikaela Shiffrin firmly holds the lead in the slalom standings with 780 points, while Camille Rast sits 288 points behind, making it mathematically impossible to catch the legendary American in the two races remaining.
