Mikaela Shiffrin reigns and delivers victory in stunning fashion! Third out of the start, she immediately found her tuck and attacked each panel with confidence and the grit to win (1:28.34). Her remarkable performance was a testament to her hard work and dedication to the sport. This is her fourth World Cup downhill victory and she did it with aggression. Her last downhill triumph was at the 2022 World Cup finals in Courchevel. This is her 91st World Cup victory and her 144th podium. 

“I felt really good on the downhill skis in both the training runs and on this day, too,” she continued, “I felt pretty clear with how I wanted to ski the track. So it went just exactly how I hoped, but you never know with the rest of the women when it’s race day because they get much faster. So I wasn’t really sure after the second training if I would stay the same and everybody else would get better or if I could get a little better as well. So I am super happy with how this went, obviously and super exciting.”

It started as a beautiful bluebird day in St. Moritz for the thrilling downhill, and Federica Brignone of Italy was the first to set the pace on the Corviglia track. Brignone’s lead did not last long, as Shiffrin came down (-0.17) ahead of her. Her teammate, Sofia Goggia, running bib-10, raced down the course and pushed Brignone into bronze by only (-0.02). This is Goggia’s 50th podium finish, and she won one of the downhill in St. Moritz last season with a hand that required surgery the night before. The podium times were close, with the top three women under two-tenths of a second from each other. The Italians demonstrated terrific strength and skill, but Shiffrin was better.

With the top racers being so close, Shiffrin stated, “Winning World Cup races is hard, and I never take it for granted, especially this season. There are so many athletes who can win. There’s so many strong athletes in each discipline, and I never expect to be in front of somebody.”

The Austrians had a superb day with three in the top 10: Cornelia Huetter (4th), Mirjam Puchner (5th), and Stephanie Venier (7th). Huetter ran bib-18 and threw down a solid run, gaining time in the final sector of the course.

German athlete Emma Aicher achieved her first top-10 downhill World Cup. The 20-year-old started bib-23 and attacked a solid line, putting her into 6th place.

Additional North American success

Isabella Wright entered this downhill ranked 17th in the 2023 World Cup standings. Wright pushed out of the start gate wearing a bib-4. She lost some speed in the first three sectors of the course, so she had the challenge of making up time down the rest of the hill. She gained some time back on the bottom section to cross the finish line in 12th place, which is Wright’s 15th top-30 World Cup downhill finish.

Wright stated, “When I came down, I knew I had some mistakes and sections I didn’t ski clean, so I was a little hesitant on my run. But, also, with some time and reflection, I recognize that it definitely does not have to be a perfect run to be a good run. I kept charging, so I am proud of that.”

Alice Merryweather has not pushed out of a World Cup start gate for 3.5 years. She said on social media, “I am not expecting perfection. The last 1,380 days haven’t exactly been the easiest, so I’ll be happy just to cross the finish line with some experience under my belt and a smile on my face.” Unfortunately, Merryweather dealt with the challenge of having a 30-minute delay on the course before her start. Sadly, Elizabeth Reisinger of Austria had to be taken down in a toboggan. The delay and visibility changes proved challenging for Merryweather, but she finished and gained more experience on the World Cup circuit.

Merryweather explained, “It was probably one of the scariest runs I have ever skied today. It was so dark. They canceled it with the girl after me, so it definitely was not what I would have wanted for my first run, and I skied very, very defensively, but I am also really proud that I made it down. If I can get through that, hopefully, I can ski almost anything.”

Stefanie Fleckenstein, the only Canadian athlete skiing downhill, finished in 28th position. This was her fourth top-30 downhill finish, a strong result for the independent athlete.

Drastic weather changes caused the jury to decide to cut the race short and end it after the 35th skier. This decision was hard for the jury because the remaining athletes could not run the race. US athletes Keely Cashman, Jacqueline Wiles, Tricia Mangan and Lauren Macuga could not compete. The jury had to make the call to ensure the safety of the athletes. Although this was a sad outcome for the remaining athletes, the jury made the right decision to protect the safety of everyone involved in the event.

Top 30 results and analysis of the fastest three and scoring North Americans

Analysis of the fastest three and scoring North Americans