Brignone Wins St Anton DH
Two of Alpine skiing's most iconic figures of all time, Federica Brignone (ITA/Rossignol) and Lindsey Vonn (USA/Head) dominated the headlines in an electrifying day of Audi FIS World Cup Downhill racing in St. Anton, Austria on Saturday.
But ultimately, not even a sensational comeback performance from the 40-year-old Vonn could deny Brignone, who in her 15th World Cup season finally landed a Downhill title.
A speed crown was just about the only thing missing from the 34-year-old's glittering CV. But despite grabbing the lead early after fellow favourites Conny Hütter (AUT/Head) and Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI/HEAD) had struggled, Brignone was made to wait to celebrate yet another career-defining performance.
At the absolute opposite end of her career, Malorie Blanc (SUI/Atomic) produced a stunning run in her first ever World Cup Downhill to grab second place having started in bib No.46. And the 21-year-old was just seven-hundredths of a second away from winning on her speed debut, as she ended in a time of 1:16.08.
All this after the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Parallel Giant Slalom Snowboard and Alpine skiing Super G champion Ester Ledecka (CZE/Kaestle) had used her multi-sport skills to grab a first Alpine ski World Cup podium in almost three years. The Czech superstar finishing third, 0.18 seconds back.
That performance gave an indication that the early soft conditions, caused by heavy snowfall overnight and warm sun, had eased. The great Vonn did not need a second invitation to show that even with a titanium knee and racing in her first World Cup downhill for 2,183 days she can very much still compete. The all-time most successful downhiller ended sixth, barely half a second behind.
But in the end, it was Brignone’s day. With the Italian thankful that she often spends her summer riding waves.
“It was not easy and for sure not like two days ago (when she finished top in training), it was really slippery. Sometimes it felt like surfing on the snow,” Brignone said with a huge smile. “But, finally, I made it. I managed to not put too much stress on myself and I could ski as I wanted. I am really happy.”
Her 30th World Cup win extended her record as the most successful female Italian skier of all-time and gave her the added bonus of now being the sport’s oldest World Cup Downhill and Giant Slalom winner.
“I am really proud,” Brignone said. “Today, I did not make the perfect run. It was really, really not easy to ski. I tried to be aggressive but also smooth because in Downhill you have to be also smooth and let your skis go. Super exciting race."
It certainly was, with Brignone confirming that she had been waiting to watch not only Vonn but Blanc too before celebrating.
The Swiss prodigy, who won the Super G title at last year’s FIS Junior World Ski Championships, had served notice of her undoubted skills with the fourth fastest time in training. But even she did not quite expect the fireworks she produced, in just her second World Cup race ever.
“I thought I was too down on the lines and it wasn’t as good as I had planned in my mind,” Blanc laughed, having been swamped by jubilant teammates in the finish area. “At the end I was just so surprised to be second. I am just enjoying it. After good training I had a bit of not like pressure, but I was thinking ‘OK, let’s do this, I can maybe do something good’. I tried to stay calm and just do my skiing as simply as I could.”
Surrounded by superstars, Blanc could not ask for better role models at the start of her career.
Ledecka is certainly one of those. The 29-year-old has long excelled across the disciplines, and she used all of her talent down the changing conditions in St. Anton.
“My snowboarding really paid off today because mostly I was outside everyone else’s line,” Ledecka laughed. “So I was maybe a little bit round on some turns but in the end it really paid off. It’s good to have some snowboarding skills sometimes.”
The Czech was lightening on the top section and held firm through the final gates to push Laura Pirovano (ITA/Head) into fourth. That left the Italian agonisingly short of a first career World Cup podium, but given recent struggles with her health, she was far from despondent.
“I knew with my energy I was not at my best, so I am proud of what I have been able to do,” Pirovano said. “The feeling was not good but I am happy I had the courage to put down the run I did.”
Vonn has never been short of courage, or indeed superlative skills. But not even the 43-time World Cup winner expected quite what happened when she went out of the gate as racer number 32.
“I know I feel good sometimes in training but I have been really slow sometimes and really fast in others. It was hard for me to tell exactly what place I would be,” Vonn said in the finish area, a smile rarely leaving her face. It was fun. I love being back in the start. I feel a little bit more confident and comfortable in downhill than I do in Super G (she finished 14th in her first comeback Super G race last month) and I know this hill really well. So, I knew the challenges that it had today and the snow conditions and what I needed to execute.
“I still made a couple of mistakes. I know I could be faster but I think for the first downhill race in six years, it was a pretty good start.”
The greatest speed racer of all time will get another go down the Karl Schranz course on Sunday, when the women go in the Super G. The locals will be hoping for more from their phalanx of skiers. Stephanie Venier (AUT/Head) led the Austrians home in the Downhill, ending fifth, with Hütter retaining her Crystal Globe lead by taking seventh.
