Lindsey Vonn, at 41 years old, continues to impress with her exceptional performance on the World Cup speed circuit, consistently securing podium finishes. In the recent super-G event in Tarvisio, Italy, Vonn clinched second place, marking her seventh podium finish in eight races this season. Her remarkable consistency sets her apart, with no other skier achieving more than three podiums in speed events. Even Mikaela Shiffrin, who boasts seven podium finishes in 14 technical races, hasn’t matched Vonn’s overall consistency.
Vonn’s stellar results position her as a strong contender for medals in both downhill and super-G at the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, scheduled to start in less than three weeks in Italy. Despite being narrowly beaten by Germany’s Emma Aicher, who is 19 years her junior, Vonn remains upbeat, stating, “It was tough conditions with the visibility, but I’m really happy to be on the podium again.”
Val Grenier of St-Isidore, Ont., secured the 14th spot out of 53 finishers with a time of 1:15.59, while teammate Cassidy Gray from Panorama, B.C., was disqualified for unspecified reasons.
Alice Robinson, the New Zealand skier with notable wins this season, encountered a mishap as she crashed into the final gate during the competition, although she appeared to escape serious injury. Adverse weather conditions, including fog on the upper course section, added to the challenges faced by the skiers navigating the Prampero course.
Aicher’s victory over Vonn by a mere 0.27 seconds marked her second win of the season, securing her fourth career triumph across different disciplines. The Czech racer, Ester Ledecka, a double Olympic gold medalist in snowboarding and skiing, celebrated her first podium finish of the season. The event also saw Romane Miradoli of France finishing fourth and Keely Cashman of the United States achieving the best result of her career by securing fifth place.
The women’s circuit will continue in Italy with the Kronplatz giant slalom event, followed by the final set of speed races in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Jan. 30-31. Additionally, the Italian team announced the return of defending overall World Cup champion Federica Brignone for the Kronplatz race after recovering from a leg injury sustained in April. Brignone’s final decision to compete would be based on her assessment of the course on the following day.