Saturday, December 14, noticed the first-ever ladies’s Downhill World Cup at Beaver Creek, Colorado. Victory went to Austria’s Cornelia Hütter, with Italy’s Sofia Goggia claiming second place and Switzerland’s Lara Intestine-Behrami rounding out the rostrum in third place.
It was a improbable day at this time at Beaver Creek with sunshine and a cheerful crowd out to have fun the world’s quickest feminine skiers. To begin the thrilling first-ever ladies’s Downhill on the Birds of Prey course at this time, Lindsey Vonn made her return to the World Cup as a forerunner. Whereas Vonn’s time just isn’t formally recorded, her time is hand-timed, and got here in at 1:34.10 minutes. This is able to have seen Vonn place inside the highest 20 (hand- instances fluctuate from automated timing by a number of milliseconds, so are robust to match with out additional timing information). The adoring homecrowd cheered loudly for the legendary ski racer who has not been seen at a World Cup race in virtually six years.
First skier on the Birds of Prey course at this time was Laura Gauche who set the tempo at 1:34.75 minutes. Kira Weidle-Winkelmann, sadly, didn’t begin on account of sickness, whereas Austria’s Priska Ming-Nufer snatched the lead from Gauche by greater than a complete second. With that spectacular lead, Ming-Nufer remained within the chief’s seat till Sofia Goggia entered the race. Goggia is getting back from an advanced tibial fracture in January this 12 months with which she had been scuffling with till September at which level she had the plate faraway from her leg to alleviate shin ache throughout coaching runs. The Italian “Queen of Pace” confirmed simply why she carried that title and catapulted herself into the lead greater than a second forward of the Austrian, with a time of 1:32.54 minutes. Likewise, Switzerland’s Intestine-Behrami regarded robust after lacking earlier races to this point this season on account of points together with her knee, however the Swiss skier couldn’t beat Goggia, crossing the end line 0.18 seconds behind the Italian. The lead appeared firmly in Goggia’s hand with skier after skier failing to even get close to her time till Hütter snatched the lead by 0.16 seconds from the Queen of Pace.
Lauren Macuga from Staff USA narrowly missed out on a podium, ending 0.18 seconds behind Lara Intestine-Behrami in fourth place in what’s a private finest for the younger American ski racer. Macuga had proven robust coaching runs within the lead-up to the precise race. Macuga completed the 2023-24 season with a private finest fifth place in Tremendous-G in Kvitfjell, Norway, in March 2024, nonetheless, that is the primary time Macuga has completed within the prime 10 in Downhill. Lauren Macuga comes from a household of profitable wintersport athletes, together with her sister Alli competing for Staff USA within the Moguls World Cup and her brother Sam within the U.S. Ski Leaping Staff (and one other brother hoping to make the nationwide staff).
Macuga’s teammate Breezy Johnson completed at this time’s Downhill in thirteenth place. Johnson has simply returned to the World Cup circuit following a 14-month ban by the U.S. Anti-Doping Company (USADA) on account of a failure to adjust to the Whereabouts Rule. The Whereabouts Rule requires athletes to register their location within the USADA database. Correct whereabouts info is essential for efficient out-of-competition testing, which helps deter and detect doping by enabling no-notice pattern assortment. Johnson didn’t comply a complete of thrice throughout a 12-month window, ensuing within the ban by USADA.
Associated: U.S. Ski Racer Breezy Johnson Hit With 14-Month Ban by U.S. Anti-Doping Company
Additionally ending inside the highest 30 was teammate Jacqui Wiles, who got here in twenty ninth, relegating teammate Keely Cashman by 18 seconds to 31t place. Bells Wright completed in thirty fifth place whereas Tricia Mangan got here thirty ninth, and Haley Cutler got here forty second.
Particular point out should additionally go to Austria’s Ricarda Haaser tho skied with bib 37 into fifth place, simply 0.04 seconds behind Macuga. The 31-year-old didn’t compete in Downhill final season however has proven robust coaching runs on the Birds of Prey course within the lead-up to the race. Shifting from thirty seventh to fifth received Haaser the Stifel Bibbo Award, which comes with $5,000 prize cash.
The races at Beaver Creek proceed tomorrow, Sunday, December 15, with a Tremendous-G occasion.
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