Making Austrians Proud in the Super-G: Huetter’s First Victory on Home Snow

It was a beautiful bluebird sky day in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria, for the third women’s World Cup super-G this season. The super-G track runs from Gamskogel over the Kälberloch towards the finish corral and is considered one of the most challenging and striking on the women’s World Cup circuit. Austrian Cornelia Huetter executed the day incredibly with a triumphant run on home snow. 

Huettur stated, “I can find in every run something I can do better. But, it was close to perfect. I am happy and satisfied with this run,” she stated, “It is hard to find words. My career was different from others, and I have a lot of thoughts and emotions.” 

She further expressed how great it was to win at home, especially since she had never done it before. She also explained the different aspects she will need going into the next few super-G’s to find the top of the World Cup rankings.

Before the race today, Huetter was ranked third in the World Cup standings. In the inaugural St. Moritz super-G, Huetter achieved 2nd place. Then, in the Val-d’Isère super-G, she barely missed the podium, coming in 4th place, +0.28 behind Sofia Goggia, who finished the day in third. This is Huetter’s fourth World Cup win of her career. 

The Austrian team was gunning to make a statement at home. After her teammates, Mirjam Puchner (bib-4) and Stephanie Venier (bib-5), crossed the finish line with a mere 0.01-second difference between their times, Huetter came down with an extensive lead, -0.56 ahead of Puchner. Puchner and Venier ended the day in 7th and 8th place, respectively. 

Marta Bassino of Italy swiftly disrupted the Austrian podium, securing the second-place position and breaking up the trio. Following her, several competitors showcased remarkable speed, earning themselves spots in the top 5.

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Kajsa Vickhoff Lie of Norway was composed throughout the course, looking to earn another podium finish after her 2nd-place finish in Val-d’Isère. Lie came through the finish +0.09 behind Huetter. She displayed great excitement for her performance in the finish as she vigorously raised and lowered her hands in response to the cheering crowd.

Lara Gut-Behrami, the 2023 super-G discipline champion, threw down a stellar performance to round out the podium. The time differences on the podium were minimal, with two-tenths of a second separating Gut-Behrami and Huetter.

Coming off a win at the previous super-G in Val-d’Isère, Federica Brignone was attacking panel-to-panel, primarily through the GS-like section of the course. However, she came through the finish +0.32 off the lead, which pushed her into 4th place. She appeared satisfied with her race, smiling and dancing in the finish area as she observed the rest of the participants.

Unfortunately, her teammate Sofia Goggia, who came into the race holding the top spot on the World Cup rankings, did not finish. After fully attacking the top section of the course, Goggia leaned in before the GS-like section, falling onto her hip, which pushed her out of the course. She popped up quickly, without injury.

North Americans

Today, the North American field was missing Mikaela Shiffrin. Shiffrin decided to take this race off to recover from sickness and rejuvenate before the next event. She expressed her disappointment for missing the event but hopes to return stronger, ready to perform at her top.

The day concluded with three North Americans in the top 30: Valérie Grenier, Jacqueline Wiles, and Isabella Wright. Each attacked the course, eager to improve their World Cup rankings. However, the three athletes had a part of the course where they got pushed slightly late and low, which cost them each time. Nevertheless, they persevered and were able to perform well. 

Alpine Canada Alpin Valérie Grenier was the top North American for the race, finishing in 11th place. She unveiled her speed through the top three sections but got crunched slightly before the GS-like section, which pushed her late and low. She held on to earn herself her fifth top-15 in World Cup super-G. 

Stifel US Ski Team Athlete Jacqueline Wiles had the fastest first section of the day! She ignited out of the start gate and let the skis run through the upper section. She lost a bit of that speed towards the bottom of the course but held on nicely to finish in 21st position. 

She stated, “I really struggled with super-G over the years and my confidence in the event. I know the right things I need to do to have really solid super-G skiing and I am really excited that I executed on that today.”

Isabella Wright attacked the top section, really laying it over on her outside ski through every turn. She backed off slightly for the GS-like section and skied the lower sections wider than the competitors. She finished the day in 30th place.

Today marked a significant milestone for Britt Richardson from Alpine Canada Alpin as she took on her inaugural super-G World Cup race. Despite a commendable performance, she missed a spot in the top 30.

 Altenmarkt-Zauchensee Super-G Results and Analysis of the Fastest Three and the North Americans in the top 30

Analysis of the Fastest Three and the North Americans in the top 30