Emma Aicher Wins First World Cup Slalom in LeviLevi Slalom Women

Colturi, Aicher, Truppe / GEPA pictures

LEVI, Finland, Nov. 14, 2026 — Germany’s Emma Aicher celebrated her 23rd birthday weekend with her first World Cup slalom victory Saturday, defeating Albania’s Lara Colturi by 0.43 seconds on Levi Black’s demanding, icy course.

Aicher (HEAD) led after the opening run and held off her challengers to win in a combined 1 minute, 52.62 seconds. Colturi (HEAD) finished second, while Austria’s Katharina Truppe (Völkl) completed the podium, 0.50 seconds behind the winner.

It was a memorable victory at a venue that has played a special role in Aicher’s career. She made her World Cup debut in Levi, earned her first slalom podium there last season and returned this year to win the discipline for the first time.

The result also extended an impressive early-season streak. Aicher and Colturi have reached the podium in both women’s World Cup races this season, following third- and second-place finishes, respectively, in the Sölden giant slalom.

Saturday’s second run featured nine different leaders, remarkable improvements from athletes starting far down the order and an icy pitch that tested even the world’s best slalom racers.

Levi Women’s World Cup Slalom 2026 — Final Top Five

Place	Athlete	Bib	Combined time/gap
1st	🇩🇪 GER — Emma Aicher — HEAD	1	1:52.62
2nd	🇦🇱 ALB — Lara Colturi — HEAD	2	+0.43
3rd	🇦🇹 AUT — Katharina Truppe — Völkl	3	+0.50
4th	🇭🇷 CRO — Zrinka Ljutić — Atomic	24	+0.83
5th	🇸🇪 SWE — Anna Swenn Larsson — HEAD	4	+1.08

Aicher Delivers When the Pressure Is Greatest

Aicher entered the second run with a 0.36-second advantage over Colturi and 0.88 seconds over Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutić.

By the time the German reached the starting gate, Colturi had displaced Truppe and guaranteed herself at least second place. The Albanian teenager was one run away from her first World Cup victory.

The pressure was unmistakable. Several leading athletes had struggled to maintain grip on Levi’s steep, icy pitch, while others had surrendered significant time trying to negotiate the demanding terrain.

Aicher showed no hesitation.

She maintained her rhythm through the challenging sections and crossed the finish line 0.43 seconds ahead of Colturi. Her second-run time of 56.88 seconds ranked sixth-fastest, but the commanding advantage she established in the morning proved decisive.

“Feels pretty good,” Aicher said in her postrace interview. “I’m really happy with how I skied.”

Despite the breakthrough victory, she still saw room for improvement.

“I could probably do some stuff better, but most of it was pretty good,” she said.

A Birthday Present and a Special Connection to Levi

Aicher celebrated her 23rd birthday Friday, Nov. 13, making Saturday’s victory a particularly memorable present.

“It’s definitely a good birthday present,” she said during her finish-area interview.

Levi has become an important destination in Aicher’s World Cup career. Her first World Cup appearance, first slalom podium and first slalom victory have all come at the Finnish resort.

“It means a lot to be here,” she said.

The occasion was even more meaningful because her family was there to watch.

“My whole family is here as well, so it’s really nice to be able to ski the way I want when they are here,” Aicher said.

Nine Leaders Turn Levi’s Second Run Into a Thriller

The reverse-30 second run developed into a succession of challenges for the leader’s chair.

🇩🇪 GER Lena Dürr opened the afternoon after qualifying 30th. The five-time Levi World Cup podium finisher established an early combined benchmark of 1:55.33 and held the lead through four subsequent challengers.

🇨🇭 SUI Aline Höpli, who qualified 25th, then delivered an outstanding 56.82-second run to take control. She remained in the leader’s chair through seven challengers before 🇸🇪 SWE Sara Hector edged ahead by just 0.07 seconds.

🇺🇸 USA Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete AJ Hurt also threatened Höpli’s lead, initially crossing only 0.11 seconds behind the Swiss racer.

🇦🇺 AUS Madison Hoffman subsequently became the fourth leader, continuing a remarkable day that began with her 13th-place opening run from bib 57.

🇫🇷 FRA Marie Lamure then took control before 🇸🇪 SWE Anna Swenn Larsson established a faster benchmark.

Swenn Larsson, 10th after the first run, posted a 56.64-second second run. Her combined time of 1:53.70 raised the standard for the remaining contenders.

Swiss veteran 🇨🇭 SUI Wendy Holdener could not displace the Swede. Then teammate 🇸🇪 SWE Cornelia Oehlund, who had qualified seventh, lost control on the icy pitch, slid onto her left hip and exited the course.

🇦🇹 AUT Katharina Huber also fell short. However, her Austrian teammate Katharina Truppe would soon transform the podium battle.

Truppe Masters the Icy Pitch With the Fastest Second Run

Truppe entered the second run fifth, 1.05 seconds behind Aicher.

While several competitors struggled to maintain grip on the pitch, the Austrian delivered an exceptional performance. She combined aggressive skiing with world-class skiing, maintaining her speed through the most demanding terrain.

Her 56.33-second second run was the fastest of the race.

Truppe recorded 20.96 seconds through Sector 3, the second-fastest time on that section, and 12.08 seconds in the final sector, also second-fastest.

The performance moved her ahead of Swenn Larsson by 0.58 seconds and into the leader’s chair.

After the race, Truppe described how the sunshine encouraged her to attack.

“The sun is coming out in the second run, and so you can keep even more pushing, and it’s really cool,” she said.

🇨🇭 SUI Camille Rast, fourth after the opening run, could not match Truppe’s pace. 🇭🇷 CRO Ljutić then delivered a strong performance but finished 0.33 seconds behind the Austrian, guaranteeing Truppe a podium with two racers remaining.

Colturi eventually moved ahead, and Aicher’s final run secured the victory. Nevertheless, Truppe’s performance demonstrated how much speed was available to athletes who could master the icy surface.

Where Aicher Won: Final Podium Sector Comparison

The second-run timing analysis reveals how Aicher protected her opening-run advantage.

Truppe was faster than both podium rivals in the second run, recording 56.33 seconds compared with Aicher’s 56.88 and Colturi’s 56.95.

The steep third sector was particularly important. Truppe gained 0.34 seconds against Aicher through that section alone, followed by another 0.19 seconds in the final sector.

However, Aicher had already built a 1.05-second advantage over Truppe in the first run.

Colturi remained much closer to the German, finishing the second run just 0.07 seconds slower. But she could not erase Aicher’s opening-run advantage.

The difference was clear: Truppe delivered the day’s fastest second run, Colturi remained competitive across both runs, and Aicher combined an outstanding morning performance with the speed necessary to defend her lead.

Colturi Adds Another Podium but Her First Victory Must Wait

🇦🇱 ALB Lara Colturi, who turns 20 Sunday, Nov. 15, entered Levi following a second-place finish in the Sölden giant slalom. Another runner-up result confirmed her outstanding start to the season.

Despite her youth, Colturi is already an experienced World Cup competitor. She handled the pressure of racing for her first victory and briefly occupied the leader’s chair before Aicher completed the deciding run.

Colturi acknowledged that second place was still satisfying, but she believed she could have skied faster.

“It wasn’t that bad as a birthday gift,” she said. “I was skiing pretty good, and I know that I can ski a tiny bit more better, and next time I will try.”

Reflecting on her opening run, Colturi suggested she could have attacked more aggressively.

“First run, it was more like an inspection,” she said. “So next time I will try to go faster the first run.”

She also congratulated Aicher.

“Emma, she skied super good, so congrats to her for the first win,” Colturi said.

Both HEAD athletes have now reached the podium in giant slalom and slalom, establishing themselves among the early leaders of the 2026-27 World Cup season.

🇦🇺 AUS Madison Hoffman Delivers Career-Best World Cup Result

Australia’s Madison Hoffman produced one of the day’s standout performances, finishing eighth after starting with bib 57.

The Park City, Utah, resident and former University of Utah All-American qualified 13th in the opening run, then briefly took the leader’s chair during the second run.

“I definitely surprised myself,” Hoffman said afterward.

Despite her unexpected position, Hoffman trusted the approach that had worked in training rather than changing her strategy.

“First run, I just really tried to trust myself and not try to do anything more or anything less than training,” she explained.

Her career-best World Cup finish was particularly meaningful after injuries, including knee problems in 2024, interrupted her progress.

“I’m definitely proud, especially after a bit of a long slog with some injuries,” she said. “It feels good to be back racing.”

Hoffman, a four-time NCAA first-team All-American and two-time individual national champion at Utah, also has fond memories of Levi, where she earned her first World Cup points.

“We go see Santa, we look for the Northern Lights, we try to find the reindeer,” she said.

Bibbo Award: 🇦🇺 AUS Hoffman Climbs 49 Positions From Bib 57

Hoffman’s remarkable performance earns her the Ski Racing Media Bibbo Award, recognizing the athlete who achieves the greatest improvement between starting bib number and final finishing position.

Athlete	Starting bib	Final place	Positions gained
🇦🇺 AUS Madison Hoffman	57	8th	49
🇦🇹 AUT Valentina Rings-Wanner	70	23rd	47
🇱🇮 LIE Charlotte Lingg	56	21st	35
🇮🇹 ITA Beatrice Sola	50	19th	31

Hoffman’s 49-position improvement narrowly surpassed Rings-Wanner’s impressive climb from bib 70 to 23rd.

The Bibbo Award measures the difference between starting bib and final result. It is separate from the Biggest Second-Run Movers distinction.

Biggest Second-Run Movers: 🇩🇪 GER Dürr and 🇨🇭 SUI Höpli

Two athletes climbed more than 10 positions between their first-run standing and final result.

🇩🇪 GER Lena Dürr — 30th to 18th, up 12 positions. The five-time Levi podium finisher opened the second run and established the first benchmark. Her 57.24-second run ranked seventh-fastest, allowing her to produce the biggest climb of the afternoon.

🇨🇭 SUI Aline Höpli — 25th to 14th, up 11 positions. Höpli recorded the fourth-fastest second run in 56.82 seconds. Her 20.92-second third sector was the fastest of the entire second run and helped her gain 11 places.

Dürr and Höpli were the only athletes to meet Ski Racing Media’s 10-position threshold for the Biggest Second-Run Movers recognition.

North Americans: 🇺🇸 USA Hurt Leads With 15th Place

Two Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes and one Canadian qualified for the second run.

🇺🇸 USA AJ Hurt Moves Up Three Positions

AJ Hurt (HEAD), born in 2000, was the fastest North American in the opening run. Wearing bib 29, she qualified 18th, 1.83 seconds behind Aicher.

Hurt attacked the second course and challenged the early leaders, but the steep pitch proved costly.

She ultimately finished 15th, 2.40 seconds behind Aicher, improving three positions.

Her 57.45-second second run ranked 13th-fastest.

🇨🇦 CAN Laurence St-Germain Climbs Six Positions

Canada’s Laurence St-Germain, born in 1994, entered the second run in 28th place.

The 2023 world slalom champion was the first North American on the second course and initially finished second behind Dürr.

St-Germain showed competitive speed in the upper sectors but lost significant time through the steep pitch.

She ultimately finished 22nd, 3.43 seconds behind Aicher, improving six positions.

North American Sector Analysis: Hurt and St-Germain vs. Aicher

The sector comparison with race winner Aicher highlights where the North Americans lost time.

Hurt began the second run 1.83 seconds behind Aicher, while St-Germain carried a 2.49-second deficit.

Both remained relatively competitive through the opening sectors, but the steep third sector produced their largest additional losses.

Hurt lost 0.61 seconds to Aicher through Sector 3, while St-Germain surrendered 0.84 seconds. Hurt recovered 0.06 seconds in the final sector, while St-Germain lost another 0.04.

The final margins were 2.40 seconds for Hurt and 3.43 for St-Germain.

🇸🇰 SVK Petra Vlhová Makes Encouraging World Cup Slalom Return

Slovakia’s Petra Vlhová, the 2022 Olympic slalom champion and six-time Levi winner, competed in her first World Cup slalom since Jan. 16, 2024, in Flachau, Austria.

Vlhová qualified 14th in the opening run, 1.44 seconds behind Aicher.

She skied particularly well through the first two sectors of her second run before losing time in the third sector.

The Slovakian eventually finished 16th, 2.43 seconds behind Aicher.

Although the result did not produce another Levi podium, her return to World Cup slalom competition after nearly three years was among the day’s significant stories.

Levi’s Icy Pitch Rewards Precision and Commitment

The icy surface challenged athletes throughout the competition. Maintaining grip while carrying speed proved particularly difficult, contributing to several costly mistakes.

Yet competitive times continued to be posted as the strongest first-run qualifiers tackled the course. Truppe’s outstanding second run demonstrated that the demanding surface could still reward confident, technically brilliant skiing.

Athletes needed to maintain their rhythm and commitment without sacrificing speed.

Liski provided gate and protection equipment for the Levi World Cup event.

Aicher Leaves Levi With a Victory and a Reindeer

After finishing third in the Sölden giant slalom and winning Saturday’s Levi slalom, Aicher has opened the season with two podiums in two races.

Her first World Cup slalom victory came at a venue where she made her debut, with her family watching from the finish area.

And, as is tradition in Levi, the winner receives a reindeer.

Asked whether she had already chosen a name, Aicher laughed.

“No, I gotta think about that,” she said.

For the newly crowned Levi champion, there is plenty to celebrate — and now a reindeer to name.

Race Results

click images to enlarge

Run Analysis: Leaders & Qualified North Americans