American skiing legend Lindsey Vonn has slipped out of contention for the World Cup downhill title following a devastating crash at the Olympics, with Italy's Laura Pirovano seizing the lead after a stunning weekend of racing on home snow.
Vonn's Season Cut Short by Horrific Crash
The 41-year-old Vonn was the dominant downhill skier through January, having not finished off the podium in any World Cup downhill event this campaign. However, her horrific crash at the Olympics last month resulted in a complex leg break requiring multiple surgeries, ending her season prematurely.
This left Vonn with too few World Cup points in hand with just four races remaining in her best event, effectively dashing her hopes of pursuing a remarkable ninth World Cup downhill title.
Pirovano's Career-Defining Weekend
In Val di Fassa, Italy, Laura Pirovano achieved what she had never done in 124 career World Cup races – winning back-to-back events by the narrowest of margins. On Friday, she edged Germany's Emma Aicher into second place by just 0.01 seconds, with Olympic and world downhill champion Breezy Johnson taking third.
The 28-year-old Italian followed up on Saturday with another victory, this time scraping inside Cornelia Huetter's time. Minutes later, 2022 Olympic downhill champion Corinne Suter raced into third place, having led for most of her run and reaching speeds close to 133 kph (83 mph).
These results pushed early leader Breezy Johnson down to fourth position, trailing Pirovano by 0.64 seconds.
Standings Shakeup
Pirovano's 100 race points from her double victory lifted her to the top of the downhill standings, now leading Vonn by 36 points. Emma Aicher, a double Olympic silver medallist from last month, sits in second place with one race remaining on March 21 at Kvitfjell, Norway.
Aicher's placement outside the top 10 on Saturday benefited Pirovano in the downhill standings and also provided positive news for American skier Mikaela Shiffrin.
Overall World Cup Implications
Shiffrin's lead in the overall World Cup standings has been reduced because she no longer competes in downhill events, but she remains 117 points ahead of the 22-year-old German Aicher. Shiffrin has the potential to extend that lead if she participates in a super-G event scheduled for Sunday.
The American, who broke a lengthy Olympic drought with a stunning slalom gold in her final race at Milano-Cortina, is chasing her sixth career overall World Cup title and her first in three years.
Laura Pirovano expressed amazement at her back-to-back victories, which have completely transformed her career trajectory and positioned her as the surprise leader in the downhill standings.
