Federica Brignone (ITA). Photo: GEPA pictures/ Mario Buehner-Weinrauch

The Italian duo won two spots on the podium on the challenging Val-d’Isère super-G course, with Federica Brignone taking first place. Her teammate, Sofia Goggia, achieved the 3rd-place result. Kajsa Vickhoff Lie put down a solid run to divide the two Italians and earn her first podium finish of the season, +0.44 off the winning time.  

This is Brignone’s 9th super-G World Cup victory. In 2020 and 2021, Brignone earned herself a 3rd and 4th place finish on the OK track, so she is no stranger to the challenging and dynamic aspects of the course. She stated, “This is a dream.” 

The weather in Val-d’Isère on the final day was pristine. The clear blue sky and the perfect snow conditions gave the women an ideal opportunity to push themselves on the renowned OK World Cup track. However, the course set by Italian coach Paolo Stefanini proved challenging for the women, with several critical gates that were sucking the athletes low and causing a slew of disqualifications. Twenty-six racers did not finish in today’s super-G, including Mikaela Shiffrin. 

Mikaela Shiffrin missed the downhill racing in Val d’Isère but came into the super-G focused on the podium. Wearing bib-13, she kicked out of the start gate with a strong push, putting her into the winning contingency position. Unfortunately, she was a little off the line in the course’s mid-section, needing to push herself in the lower section, which caused her to miss a critical gate. Several athletes, including New Zealander Alice Robinson, missed this gate.  

It was a big day for Norwegian Kajsa Vickhoff Lie. She has been unable to break into the top 10 on any early season speed events, so this podium finish proved she could compete with the top athletes. The result is the 4th World Cup podium for the 25-year-old. 

It was astonishing that Goggia’s unwavering determination to push herself to the limit did not hinder her from completing this challenging course. While pushing it to the limit, looking a little out of control, she still managed to keep the ski clean in the fall line. She did get sucked low in some of the sections but hung in there. This finish will mark Goggia’s 51st World Cup podium finish. 

Brignone explained, “Today was really hard to do the perfect run,” She continued, “I was a bit nervous, and I saw other athletes were struggling. I was trying to push, but you never know.”

North Americans 

Today, the course proved rigorous for the North Americans, with only Lauren Macuga finishing with an exceptional top-20 finish. 

Macuga scored her first super-G points last weekend in St. Moritz, with a 30th-place finish. Starting bib-50, she kicked out of the gate, immediately looking for speed and focusing on the feedback from her teammates. She got pushed into the backseat in the upper section of the course but remained balanced and strong on the ski through the critical turny section. Then, she continued to carry speed in the 4th and 5th sectors of the course, crossing the finish in 17th place. 

After her 30th-place finish in the St. Moritz super-G, she stated, “I think I finally got my groove back.” She further solidified that she does have her groove back with this superb finish.

Stifel US Ski Team member Isabella Wright wore bib-23. During the early section of the course, Wright got a little loose in the air, throwing her into the lower line, which kicked her back +1.23 seconds. This mistake forced her into recovery mode, and she could not quite make it through the mid-turny section and missed a gate. 

Valerie Grenier of Alpine Canada Alpin had the same issue as Isabella Wright and was disqualified at the same spot. 

Stifel US Ski Team members Keely Cashman and Tricia Mangan showed excellent speed at the top of the course. Tricia Managan was just + .04 off Brignone’s top time through the first section. The two athletes displayed strong, technical skiing but could not finish. Cashman went out at the same gate as Shiffrin. 

Alice Merryweather, Stifel US Ski Team racer, also had a difficult day. Gaining confidence from a 20th-place finish this week in the European Cup in St. Moritz, she came out of the gate linking up turns. Merryweather attacked each panel of the top section but ended up skiing through a panel in the middle section. She was able to keep her balance and not crash. Shaken up, she stated, “There was a flash before my eyes for a moment.”

Top 30 Val d’Isère SG results and analysis of the fastest three and Stifel US Ski Team’s Lauren Macuga

Analysis of the fastest three and scoring North Americans