The first day of the World Cup Finals in Kvitfjell, Norway, ended with two victories for Italy. After the men’s downhill was won by Dominik Paris, the celebration on the Italian team continued when Laura Pirovano claimed not only her third career World Cup victory but also the downhill Crystal Globe in the process.
- Related: Laura Pirovano Does it Again: Italian Wins Back-to-Back Downhills in Val di Fassa by 0.01 seconds
On a sunlit Olympiabakken course in Kvitfjell, Pirovano held her nerve in a high-stakes race to lock in the discipline title, capping a consistent season with victory when it mattered most. Emma Aicher had been close on her heels in the season’s standings after the Italian won two consecutive downhill races—the first of her career—in Val di Fassa, Italy, two weeks ago. But with her victory today, Pirovano secured the 2025-26 season discipline crystal globe—a feat, she admits, she had never even dared to dream of. Her dream had been winning a World Cup. Pirovano had started at more than 100 World Cup races but had never stood on a podium, until two weeks ago when she stood on the very top of the podium two days in a row.
“It’s more than a dream. I didn’t even dream about it; it was something too big. To win a World Cup race yes, but to win this baby here, no, it was too much for me and that’s why it was unbelievable.”
– Laura Pirovano
While Pirovano took the spotlight, the race also marked a major milestone for the United States’ Breezy Johnson. The Olympic Gold medallist finished second on the day, a result that propelled her to third place in the season-long downhill standings—a significant achievement in one of the sport’s most competitive disciplines. She overtook both her teammate Lindsey Vonn as well as Germany’s Kira Weidle-Winkelmann and Austria’s Conny Hütter after gaining 80 points with her strong result today.
Rounding out the podium was Weidle-Winkelmann, who at 30 is having the best season of her career. While the German has never won a World Cup race, she consistently delivered top 10 results this season and claimed three downhill podiums, resulting in a best standing of her career. After 11 years on the World Cup circuit, she is just one of many athletes that are proving that sometimes good things take time. Maybe having a teammate like Aicher was the key factor for the seasoned skier. She admitted, “I think Emma helped me a lot—she is just coming to the speed side and is like ‘Oh, let’s go and have some fun and just ski’. For me, that was the key this year, to enjoy skiing more, to enjoy the competition and to be on top and fight against the best racers in the world and have fun in this process. We are just a great team, we have fun skiing, we have fun being together on the slopes,” Weidle-Winkelmann added. “I think we can learn from each other. She can learn a little bit from me, and I can learn a lot from her.”
Aicher finished fifth in the downhill behind Ariane Rädler from Austria in a tight field where the top five were only separated by around a third of a second. Aicher’s fifth place adds valuable points to her season tally. The 22-year-old now sits less than 100 points behind overall leader Mikaela Shiffrin, tightening the race for the Overall Crystal Globe heading into the final events. With three races remaining, the margin leaves the title race finely poised—especially given Aicher’s ability to score across all four disciplines.
For Pirovano, the victory represents both a breakthrough and a culmination. The 30-year-old admits that she has no idea what she has been doing differently. “I felt not so good skiing down there today,” Pirovano admitted after the race. She explained that she did not even dare look at the timing board when she crossed the finish line, not having felt so strong. “When I saw the green light I said, ‘No, it’s unbelievable’.”
With the downhill now complete, the speed specialists will compete in the Super-G tomorrow, March 22. Unlike today, the women will go first and the men second. Mikaela Shiffrin will be in the starting gate in bib 25 in a bid to defend the overall season title. Starting spots in the World Cup Finals are limited to the top 25 ski racers from the season in each discipline. Shiffrin has earned a starting spot in Super-G as she has more than 500 FIS points. This special rule allows an alpine skier to compete in any discipline of their choosing at the World Cup Finals. Likewise, Kira Weidle-Winkelmann will make use of her points to compete in Giant Slalom—a discipline she usually never starts in.
