Olympics
After the men in Bormio had raced the Super-G under sunshine, the women faced fog and steady snowfall on the Tofane in Cortina. But just like the men, the Super-G was everything one could hope for in ski racing: drama, excitement, and an underdog taking the win. Italy’s Federica Brignone, who had not raced a single Super-G in the 2025-26 World Cup season due to niggling pain from her leg fracture at the end of last season, took the victory by nearly half a second. The silver medal went to France’s Romane Miradoli and bronze to Cornelia Hütter from Austria.
The Olympic Super-G in Cortina unfolded in dramatically different conditions, with visibility deteriorating into near pea soup at the top of the course. Nearly half the field failed to finish, as rollers, blind gates and tightening combinations punished even the slightest mistake.
Bib 1, Malorie Blanc of Switzerland, opened with a 1:24.65 to set the early benchmark. Italy’s Laura Pirovano, skiing in front of a roaring home crowd, recovered from a slower top section to take the lead by nearly half a second. Early heartbreak followed as Germany’s Kira Weidle-Winkelmann and Austria’s Mirjam Puchner both failed to finish at the same demanding mid-course combination. In fact, out of the first 10 skiers, half recorded the dreaded DNF and by the end of the day the total came to 17. The toll included double silver medal holder Emma Aicher, 2018 Olympic champion Ester Ledecká, and Sofia Goggia, dubbed the Queen of Speed.
But not Federica Brignone. Ten months after a double leg fracture at the Italian championships in April—a crash that left her with a comminuted tibial plateau and fibular head fracture requiring surgery and months of rehabilitation—Brignone attacked the course with trademark aggression. The Italian, who only recently returned to World Cup racing and admitted weeks ago she was unsure whether her leg would even allow her to compete, delivered a near-flawless run.
She crossed the line in 1:23.41, an astonishing 0.76 seconds clear of teammate Pirovano at the time, pushing through lingering pain to seize control of the race. “I was expecting my skiing to be really confident and try to make every turn clean and let my skis go,” Brignone said afterward. “I was an underdog. I was an outsider, but I know what I can do with my skis.”
Austria’s Cornelia Hütter produced a composed, largely error-free run to move into second place at the time, eventually securing bronze, 0.52 seconds behind Brignone. France’s Romane Miradoli, who admitted she had nearly quit the sport last season, surged into silver, finishing 0.41 seconds back. “It feels so magical,” Miradoli said. “Never give up. Just trust in yourself.”
For the United States, Jackie Wiles led the team in 13th place, with Keely Cashman 15th. “The conditions definitely felt a little bit softer and peelier,” Wiles said. “But I still think that the track held up pretty well and was really nice to ski.”
Breezy Johnson and Olympic debutant Mary Bocock were among those who did not finish, as the course claimed more than a third of the field. Johnson later provided one of the day’s most emotional moments when she was proposed to in the finish area by her fiancé, Connor Watkins.
The race marked the conclusion of the women’s speed events in Cortina, shifting focus now to giant slalom and slalom in the days ahead.
But the day belonged to Brignone. Just yesterday during training, she had to stop skiing as the pain in her leg became too much, and today, at a home Olympic Games she once feared she might miss entirely, “La Tigre” roared again — delivering Italy’s first alpine gold of Milano Cortina 2026 in one of the defining comebacks of these Games.
Today’s victory marks Brignone’s first Olympic gold. The 37 World Cup winner had claimed three Olympic medals of a different color in the past two Olympics. Winning the gold medal, when competing at all was in question just weeks ago, is a fairytale for host nation Italy.
Up until Lindsey Vonn’s return to the World Cup circuit, Brignone had been the oldest World Cup winner. Now, the Italian claims back the title of oldest Olympic medalist from Vonn, who had held that title after winning downhill bronze in 2018 at the age of 33 years and 126 days. 35-year-old Brignone is now the oldest female Olympic medalist. With all three Olympic podium skiers aged above 30–Miradoli is 31 and Hütter 33–it proved that experience won over youthful risk taking on a technical Super-G course.
