Photo: Stephanie Venier, Nina Ortlieb and Franziska Gritsch. Photo: GEPA pictures

KVITFJELL, Norway — Nina Ortlieb moved from bib 31 to first to win Sunday’s super-G. Two of her Austrian teammates joined her on the podium for an Austrian sweep.

The Austrian women waited most of the season for their first victory, which finally arrived in Friday’s super-G. However, they didn’t wait long for their second. Today Ortlieb became the seventh super-G winner of the 2023 season.

Bib 31, Ortlieb took advantage of the improving weather and excellent skiing to win her second career super-G. Until today, her best 2022-23 performance in the discipline had been 26th in St Anton. She is now among the very few women with a bib higher than 30 to win a women’s super-G.

Ortlieb is joined on the podium by two teammates, bib 29, Stephanie Venier (+0.12) in second and bib 26, Franziska Gritsch (+0.38) in third. This season the Austrian women have been heavily criticized in their national press, but today they dominated. The Austrian team could not hide their excitement and smiles, hugs and laughter were terrific to witness.

Stifel US Ski Team member Mikaela Shiffrin (+0.98) didn’t have the weather advantage of some and skied very well to finish seventh. She will now take her talents to Sweden, where she will compete in the final regular season, giant slalom and slalom.

Shiffrin was among the early starters when low clouds caused flat light and falling snow slowed racers and then later starters benefited from improved conditions when skies cleared.

“It’s slow with the snow on the flat part,” Shiffrin said. “But I also felt very strong down there pushing the limits, so I’m super happy with my run.”

Shiffrin’s next race is a giant slalom in Are, Sweden on Friday. The American needs one victory to match Ingemar Stenmark ’s total on the all-time overall winners list – between men and women. The Swede competed in the 1970s and 80s.

Shiffrin was joined in the top 20 by her teammate Breezy Johnson (+1.49), who finished 19th, her best super-G result of the 2022-23 season. Shiffrin, however, is the only North American woman to qualify for the Soldue Andora super-G World Cup finals.

Sunday the perfect Kvitfjell weather gave way to a variable winter storm. The racers inspected a hard icy surface, but throughout the race the variable level of falling snow constantly changed the speed of the course. During certain parts of the race, the accumulating snow in the second-sector flats became particularly problematic. At times, however, the snow stopped and the visibility improved. While the winner admitted she had an advantageous window of weather, she also stated she did her best to take advantage.

Ortlieb acknowledged the conditions gave her an advantage.

“I have to be honest, I definitely had better conditions than early starters, the snowfall got less,” the Austrian said after her second career win.

“I’m sorry it was not fair for all, but for me it was a huge improvement. It’s relief and happiness, but a bit of luck was involved, too.”

Canadian Stefanie Fleckenstein also discussed the role of the weather today, “The weather was definitely a factor today. Pretty snowy and foggy for the start of the race and then there was this unbelievable break in the weather for like 10 girls in the 30s and they took advantage. Like, the Austrians swept the podium. They were just one after another, skiing so fast. And then it got kind of socked in again for the last of us girls.”

Ortlieb’s win marked only the second victory for the Austrian women’s team this season after Cornelia Huetter triumphed in Friday’s super-G.

Almost universally the World Cup women’s field approved of the Kvitfjell races and hope to return.

It was the first Austrian sweep in a women’s super-G since Alexandra Meissnitzer, Andrea Fischbacher and Michaela Dorfmeister finished on the podium in Lake Louise, Alberta in December 2005.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This is a developing story, stay tuned for updates.