Lara Gut is the new Queen Of Speed

The Swiss athlete wins the Downhill for the first time on the Olympia delle Tofane. Joy for Sofia Goggia who comes second

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Date:	28/01/2017 from 1400
Place:	Cortina d'Ampezzo

Lara Gut won the Downhill for the first time on the Olympia delle Tofane (adding to her Super G victory in 2014 and two other podiums), beating the Italian Sofia Goggia, who earned her eighth podium this season, by just 5 hundredths of a second. The Slovenian Ilka Stuhec took third place, 47 hundredths behind the winner.

These results only go to confirm that Alberto Ghezze’s female skiers are the top speed team in the world, thanks also to the rankings of Verena Stuffer sixth, Johanna Schnarf seventh, and Federica Brignone twelfth. 

It was an entertaining race, packed with dramatic twists and turns, and for a while the many fans who had packed out the finish area and the grandstands held their breath, hoping in a victory for Goggia. Until Gut’s run: she lay second at the first, second and third intermediates, then stormed into the lead in the final section, as she put on the gas in the last part of the course. 

Lindsey Vonn fell again, arriving slightly sore in the finish area but without suffering any major injuries. The American slid into the fencing again today, abandoning the competition.

At the end of the race the public celebrated the local athlete who earned herself second place on the podium and she was congratulated by Italian Sports Minister, Luca Lotti, the Chairman of FISI, Flavio Roda, the Deputy Secretary of CONI, Carlo Mornati and the Rio medal winners who had gathered in Cortina to meet the Italian skiers: Elisa Di Francisca (fencing), Marco Di Costanzo and Francesco Fossi (rowing) and Sofia Lodi (rhythmic gymnastics).

More than three thousand spectators turned out to watch the race in a lovely sunny Cortina, watching from the side of the course and filling the VIP Lounge, the new terrace overlooking the Ampezzo valley.

QUOTES

Lara Gut: "I didn’t ski 100% in the top section but from the second intermediate to the end of the course, my lines got straighter and I came out very wide at the Rumerlo. I realised I was skiing very quickly so I kept going right to the finish and it all worked out. I’m not thinking about the overall rankings, let’s wait until March to see what happens. Today I had a race to compete in and it went well".

Sofia Goggia: "It was a real treat to ski on the Olympia delle Tofane course today. No one in the entire world comes close to Italians when preparing courses and I think Cortina is the best ski resort in the whole world for preparing race tracks.

Lara was competing in the World Cup when I was still a nobody and now here I am, fighting it out with her for victory. Our stories are very similar, filled with injuries and mental strength, because both of us have obtained our most important results after injury.

Ilka is at the top of her game and I’m very happy for her. But then, all things considered, this is a special season for me too.

Obviously, when you lead for three intermediates and then you lose by 5 hundredths, you can’t help but feel a bit bitter. But it’s a great result and I’m very happy. And it’s only the second time I’ve raced here.

I don’t feel pressurised by the fact that I haven’t won yet, because sooner or later I will. I just keep competing in my races, day after day, doing what I do with total peace of mind".