Breezy Johnson pipped for gold at World Cup Finals as Aicher puts pressure on Shiffrin | Skiing
Italian Laura Pirovano clinched the Women’s Downhill World Cup title with victory in Lillehammer on Saturday, as Emma Aicher closed the gap on leader Mikaela Shiffrin in the general classification.
Pirovano, 28, had never finished on a World Cup podium until earlier this month.
But his third straight downhill victory, beating Breezy Johnson by 0.15 seconds, gave him the crystal globe in a discipline dominated earlier this season by Lindsey Vonn before injuries struck the great American.
Pirovano ends the campaign 83 points ahead of second-placed Aicher.
Kira Weidle-Winkelmann completed the podium ahead of Ariane Raedler and Aicher, who kept her hopes of a remarkable overall triumph alive.
The 22-year-old German, revelation of the season, was 0.37 seconds slower than fifth-placed Pirovano.
She will enter the final three races of the season in Norway 95 points behind five-time overall champion Shiffrin, who is aiming for her first big crystal globe since 2023.
Weidle-Winkelmann needed her first ever World Cup victory to have any chance of winning the downhill globe and she set the tone from the start with bib number six.
She was, however, knocked out of first place by Olympic gold medalist Johnson, before all eyes turned to Aicher.
The all-rounder, who could race in all disciplines in Lillehammer in a bid to topple Shiffrin, was unable to secure her 10th podium of the season despite gaining time on Johnson in the final sectors.
But Aicher managed to accumulate what could prove to be a crucial 45 points over Shiffrin in the overall standings ahead of Sunday’s super-G.
Shiffrin may be competing in this race, but in her previous two super-Gs this season, she finished 23rd in Val di Fassa and failed to finish in St Moritz.
Pirovano took to the track knowing she would win the downhill title if she beat Aicher’s time.
She did even better, taking the lead with a daring run to cap off a remarkable end to the campaign with a third straight downhill victory following her double success at Val di Fassa earlier this month.
