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With neither injured Lindsey Vonn nor Mikaela Shiffrin starting a World Cup downhill on Friday in Val di Fassa, Italy, Emma Aicher seized her chance to cut the American superstars’ leads in the season-long standings.
Aicher, the Olympic downhill silver medalist, placed second — just 0.01 behind first-time winner Laura Pirovano, pushing Olympic champion Breezy Johnson down to third — and reduced Vonn’s lead in the downhill points race to just 14 with two races left.
Vonn’s hugely successful World Cup season at age 41 was ended by a nasty crash one month ago at the Milan Cortina Olympics that wrecked her left leg.
Aicher’s 80 World Cup points Friday also reduced Shiffrin’s lead in the overall standings to 139 ahead of another downhill scheduled Saturday.
Italian Laura Pirovano narrowly won Friday’s women’s World Cup downhill race with a time of 1:21.40 at Val di Fassa, Italy.
The tightening race for the giant Crystal Globe trophy with eight races left could see Shiffrin make a rare start in a super-G Sunday. Chasing a sixth career World Cup overall title. Shiffrin has so far accrued all her points in slalom and giant slalom.
Friday’s race was a replacement for the downhill five weeks ago at Swiss resort Crans-Montana, abandoned after Vonn crashed and tore the ACL in her left knee.
Pirovano was a popular winner on home snow getting a first win, also a first podium finish, in her 125th World Cup start.
The 28-year-old Italian has been a model of consistency reeling off top-10 results this season and sixth place in the Olympic downhill at nearby Cortina d’Ampezzo.
An elusive first victory lifted Pirovano to third in the downhill standings, trailing 64 behind Vonn and 50 back of Aicher.
Pirovano was among the few racers to top 130 kph (81 mph) on a sunny, still and freezing day that was ideal for the marquee speed discipline.
Two former Olympic champions dropped out of contention after losing time on the bottom half of the 2.3-kilometre course.
Corinne Suter, the 2022 Olympics gold medalist, looked set to match her win last weekend at Soldeu, Andorra, but placed eighth, 0.49 behind Pirovano.
Sofia Goggia, the 2018 champion and bronze medallist at Cortina last month, was 0.90 back in 17th.
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