Lindsey Vonn / GEPA pictures

Women’s Downhill: Early Separation in an Injury-Hit Olympic Season

The women’s World Cup downhill reaches the holiday break, reshaped by preseason injuries, sidelining several major contenders before the season even began. The losses thinned the field and elevated the importance of consistent, powerful, and courageous skiing in a discipline where margins are small and opportunities are limited.

That reality carries added weight in an Olympic season. With six of the nine women’s downhills scheduled before the Olympic break, two-thirds of the discipline’s scoring chances—and Olympic-qualification opportunities—arrive early. After three races, the standings are already starting to separate.

At the center of the story is Lindsey Vonn. At 41, Vonn is in her second season out of retirement and leads the downhill standings after three races—an extraordinary position. The Stifel USST star owns a record 44 World Cup downhill victories, a figure that reflects World Cup wins only and does not include Olympic Games or World Championship results.


Women’s World Cup Downhill Podium Table — 2025–26 Season

Race1st2nd3rd
St. Moritz DH1Lindsey Vonn (USA / HEAD, Oakley)Magdalena Egger (AUT / Atomic)Mirjam Puchner (AUT / Atomic)
St. Moritz DH2Emma Aicher (GER / HEAD)Lindsey Vonn (USA / HEAD, Oakley)Sofia Goggia (ITA / Atomic)
Val d’Isère DHCornelia Hütter (AUT / Atomic)Kira Weidle-Winkelmann (GER)Lindsey Vonn (USA / HEAD, Oakley)

Women’s Downhill Standings — Top Five After Three Races

  1. Lindsey Vonn (USA, 1984)HEAD, Oakley — 240 points
  2. Cornelia Hütter (AUT, 1992)HEAD
  3. Emma Aicher (GER, 2003)HEAD
  4. Magdalena Egger (AUT, 2001)Atomic
  5. Mirjam Puchner (AUT, 1992)HEAD

🇺🇸 United States — Seven Women Have Scored in Downhill

Seven American women have scored World Cup downhill points through the first three races. Six are members of the Stifel USST, while one is racing independently.

  • Lindsey Vonn (1984)Stifel USSTHEAD, Oakley
    Rank: 1st | Points: 240
  • Breezy Johnson (1996)Stifel USSTAtomic
    Reigning 2025 World Champion
    Rank: 9th | Points: 102
  • Jacqueline Wiles (1992)Stifel USST
    Rank: 18th | Points: 40
  • Isabella Wright (1997)Stifel USSTAtomic
    Rank: 21st | Points: 35
  • Allison Mollin (2004)Stifel USSTHEAD
    Rank: 22nd | Points: 22
  • Keely Cashman (1999)Stifel USSTHEAD
    Rank: 23rd | Points: 20
  • Haley Cutler (1997)IndependentAtomic
    Rank: 26th | Points: 15

🇨🇦 Canada — One Woman Has Scored in Downhill

  • Valérie Grenier (1996)Alpine Canada
    Rank: 31st | Points: 8

Grenier is a two-time World Cup giant slalom winner and owns one career World Cup downhill podium, highlighting her versatility despite limited downhill opportunities so far this season.


Shred
VAL GARDENA,ITALY, 18.DEC.25 – ALPINE SKIING – Franjo von Allmen (SUI), Marco Odermatt (SUI) and Dominik Paris (ITA). Photo: GEPA pictures/ Harald Steiner

Men’s Downhill: Swiss Control in a Front-Loaded Olympic Season

The men’s World Cup downhill reaches the holiday break with the discipline already taking clear shape. In an Olympic year, early results carry extra weight, and the opening races have identified the top contenders.

The schedule reinforces that urgency. Six of the nine men’s downhills are scheduled before the Olympic break, and three of those six are already complete. With half of the pre-Olympic races finished, the standings now matter.

The defining storyline has been the continued dominance of Switzerland’s two stars, Marco Odermatt and Franjo von Allmen. Odermatt, 28, is the two-time defending World Cup downhill champion and owns six career World Cup downhill victories. Von Allmen, just 24, has two World Cup downhill wins, seven career downhill podiums, finished second in last season’s downhill standings, and enters the winter as the reigning 2025 World Downhill champion.

Italy has also shown timely momentum. Italian skiers have reached the podium in the last two World Cup downhills held in Italy, an encouraging sign as the Olympic downhill approaches on home snow in Bormio.

For the United States, Ryan Cochran-Siegle delivered an early highlight with a second-place finish at Beaver Creek, providing an encouraging start for the Stifel USST.


Men’s World Cup Downhill Podium Table — 2025–26 Season

Race1st2nd3rd
Beaver Creek DHMarco Odermatt (SUI, 1997) — Stöckli, OakleyRyan Cochran-Siegle (USA, 1992) — HEADAdrian Smiseth Sejersted (NOR, 1994) — Atomic
Val Gardena / Gröden Sprint DHMarco Odermatt (SUI, 1997) — Stöckli, OakleyFranjo
von Allmen (SUI, 2001) — HEAD
Dominik Paris (ITA, 1989) — Nordica
Val Gardena / Gröden Saslong DHFranjo
von Allmen (SUI, 2001) — HEAD
Marco Odermatt (SUI, 1997) — Stöckli, OakleyFlorian Schieder (ITA, 1995) — Atomic

Men’s Downhill Standings — Top Five After Three Races

  1. Marco Odermatt (SUI, 1997)Stöckli, Oakley — 280 points
  2. Franjo von Allmen (SUI, 2001)HEAD — 230 points
  3. Dominik Paris (ITA, 1989)Nordica — 140 points
  4. Florian Schieder (ITA, 1995)Atomic — 118 points
  5. Nils Alphand (FRA, 1996)HEAD — 95 points

🇺🇸 United States — Four Men Have Scored in Downhill

Four American men have scored World Cup downhill points through the first three races of the Olympic season. All four are members of the Stifel USST.

  • Ryan Cochran-Siegle (1992)Stifel USSTHEAD
    Rank: 7th | 80 points
  • Kyle Negomir (1998)Stifel USSTAtomic
    Rank: 16th | 39 points
  • Bryce Bennett (1992)Stifel USSTOakley
    Rank: 40th | 8 points
  • Sam Morse (1996)Stifel USST
    Rank: 41st | 7 points

🇨🇦 Canada — Three Men Have Scored in Downhill

Three Canadian men have scored World Cup downhill points so far this season for Alpine Canada Alpin.

  • Cameron Alexander (1997)Alpine Canada Alpin
    Rank: 26th | 26 points
  • Brodie Seger (1995)Alpine Canada AlpinAtomic
    Rank: 35th | 16 points
  • James Crawford (1997)Alpine Canada AlpinHEAD
    Rank: 36th | 12 points

With a downhill calendar front-loaded in an Olympic season, the early standings carry outsized importance. Injuries, consistency, and momentum have shaped the first phase of the winter. With half of the pre-Olympic downhills already completed for both women and men, every remaining race before the break will play a critical role in defining the road to Cortina d’Ampezzo for the women and Bormio for the men at the 2026 Olympic Games.

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About the Author: Peter Lange

Lange is the current Publisher of Ski Racing Media. However, over 38 seasons, he enjoyed coaching athletes of all ages and abilities. Lange’s experience includes leading Team America and working with National Team athletes from the United States, Norway, Austria, Australia, and Great Britain. He was the US Ski Team Head University Coach for the two seasons the program existed. Lange says, “In the end, the real value of this sport is the relationships you make, they are priceless.”