Brignone Beats Goggia To Win Garmisch Downhill

With the two most successful women in Italian World Cup history going head to head in spectacular fashion in Saturday's Downhill in Garmisch, Federica Brignone (ITA/Rossignol) came out on top — just. Brignone defeated compatriot Sofia Goggia (ITA/Atomic) by the smallest margin in ski racing — 0.01 seconds — to extend several records and take control of the race for the Downhill and Overall Crystal Globes.

Two weeks after her first Downhill victory, Brignone continued the best stretch of speed form in her decorated career by mastering the top gliding section and the lower technical part of the Kandahar course.

The evergreen star led Goggia's split times on the top half of the course, then fell slightly behind before roaring back in the final sector to cross the line in 1:35.83, edge Goggia, and scream with delight in the finish area.

"In skiing, it can happen — one hundredth (of a second) is part of the game," said Brignone, who remembered being on the wrong side of that margin twice in her career, including at the hands of Goggia in a Super G in St. Moritz in 2019. "It can happen to you, it can happen to other people, this is just skiing," Brignone said.

The 34-year-old Rossignol skier increased her Italian World Cup victories record to 32, six ahead of second-placed Goggia, who won her 26th World Cup race in the Cortina Downhill last Saturday.

The rivalry between the two Italians has reached new levels this season as Brignone has raised her Downhill game, with the pair having won the last three races on the long skis between them.

"It's been a good battle," Brignone admitted. "It was never a battle in Downhill until this year because she has been always better than me. And we were battling in Super G, and then GS was more me than her. "I've been working on my Downhill skills a lot, especially the flat part, to be more smooth, to be more (of a) glider."

Her improved Downhill form has helped Brignone to a 110-point lead in the Overall standings over Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI/Head, fifth on Saturday), as well as a 29-point lead in the Downhill standings over Goggia.

Pre-race favourite Goggia started slowly on the top gliding section and fell over half a second behind provisional leader Corinne Suter (SUI/Head) at the halfway stage.

The Italian's trademark wild-but-fast style served her well on the lower turns, however, and she made up time on each of the last three splits to take a 0.18 second lead over Suter, who ultimately finished third.

Remarkably, Goggia dislocated her right shoulder mid-race and still almost triumphed, recalling her famous victory two seasons ago in St. Moritz a day after she fractured her hand.

"I dislocated my shoulder and I didn't know how to keep the position in the last part because I couldn't move the arm, and so I was a bit in difficulty (and) this affected my race," said Goggia, who immediately reached for her shoulder after crossing the finish line. "Now it's good. It's something that happens when I lose some weight during winter. The first part (of the body) that loses muscles is the upper part, so this is why maybe it was a bit unstable. I have to stabilise it, but it's really no problem. But if you ski down with a shoulder out, it's not so comfy."

Suter, the Olympic Downhill champion who is improving week-by-week in her comeback from a knee injury sustained last season, had some of the best snow conditions with bib No.3 and took full advantage.

Backing up last Sunday's Super G podium, Suter was fastest of all in the second sector of the course and used the top gliding section as a springboard to her best Downhill result in nearly two years.

"All in all, I'm very happy," the Head racer said. "In the finish I was not really, really happy because I thought that you could ski faster. But I think the part at the top I did very well, and also the last part, but in the middle, with the bumps, I was not so close to the gate and I lost a little bit of confidence."

After the top three had already finished, the race was delayed while Nina Ortlieb (AUT/Head) was stretchered down the mountain after her knee appeared to buckle on a turn, causing her to crash into the safety netting.

While the oft-injured Ortlieb's season is in doubt, the rest of the women's World Cup stars will be back in action in Sunday's Super G, including Goggia, who brushed off any concerns that she might not race.

"I raced with a broken hand after a surgery, you ask me for a dislocated shoulder?" the maverick Italian said.