Austrian skier Venier wins Cortina downhill after Shiffrin among racers who crashed
Austria's Stephanie Venier celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill race, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. Credit: AP/Alessandro Trovati
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — Austrian skier Stephanie Venier held her nerve after Mikaela Shiffrin and a host of other skiers crashed to win a World Cup downhill Friday on the course that will be used for the Milan-Cortina Olympics in two years.
Shiffrin crashed into the safety nets after losing control while landing a jump on the upper portion of the course. She was helped off the course with her left boot raised off the snow.
Starting after Shiffrin and fellow former overall champion Federica Brignone went down, as well as Olympic champion Corinne Suter, Venier was able to deal with the challenging terrain on the Olympia delle Tofane course.
Venier finished 0.39 seconds ahead of Lara Gut-Behrami and 0.71 ahead of three skiers who tied for third: Valerie Grenier, Christina Ager and home favorite Sofia Goggia — creating a rare five-person podium.
“I saw all the crashes on the top. But I think I managed it, and it was a good run, and my technician did a really good job,” Venier said. “My skis were really fast today.”
It was Venier’s second career World Cup win after a victory in another downhill in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, five years ago.
No women on the once dominant Austrian team had won a downhill since Nicole Schmidhofer in Lake Louise, Alberta, in Dec. 2019.
Austria's Stephanie Venier, winner of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill race, celebrates with third-placed Italy's Sofia Goggia, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. Credit: AP/Alessandro Trovati
Shiffrin’s arms were flailing as she landed in a patch of soft snow. The American, who has a record 95 World Cup wins, then slammed into the net at high speed and rebounded back onto the snow.
Medics tended to Shiffrin immediately and she eventually got up and limped away for more care.
Shiffrin’s team said she was “taken by ambulance to the clinic in Cortina and is being evaluated for a left leg injury.”
Brignone crashed shortly after the race resumed following a delay because of Shiffrin’s fall. But Brignone got right up and proceeded to ski down. She was unhurt.
Austria's Stephanie Venier, second from left, winner of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill race, celebrates on the podium with second-placed Switzerland's Lara Gut Behrami, left, and Canada's Valerie Grenier, third from right, Austria's Christina Ager, second from right, and Italy's Sofia Goggia, right, who tied for third place, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. Credit: AP/Alessandro Trovati
Then Suter pulled up midway down her run with an apparent injury. Suter sat and clutched her left knee.
Michelle Gisin, a two-time Olympic champion, also crashed later on but appeared to avoid serious injury.
The race was held amid clear and sunny conditions but warm temperatures.
Shiffrin and Brignone are the fourth and fifth former overall World Cup champions to crash in the past two weeks following season-ending injuries to Alexis Pinturault, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and Petra Vlhova.
In all, 12 of 52 starters didn't finish the race.
Another downhill is scheduled for Cortina on Saturday, followed by a super-G on Sunday.
