CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Italy’s Federica Brignone won the super-G race at Cortina on Sunday, her first World Cup win at the Italian course extending her overall lead, while Lindsey Vonn gave the crowd a scare when crashing out on the third sector but emerged unharmed.
Vonn, four-times overall World Cup champion with 82 wins, retired in 2019 after suffering several injuries but the American announced her comeback in November.
The 40-year-old had her best finish since her return last weekend, coming fourth in a Super-G race in St Anton but at Cortina fellow competitors and fans held their breath when Vonn crashed after leaning into a bend.
The American was quickly back on her feet, but it was a disappointing end when she had looked set to post a decent time, going fourth fastest in the second sector, having finished 20th in Saturday’s downhill event.
‘I’m not so happy. I know my skiing is good and I can be fast,’ Vonn told Italian broadcaster Rai Sport.
‘My ambitions were different for this weekend.’
Brignone’s 31st World Cup win never looked in doubt, with the Italian, the seventh skiier out the gate, setting a time of one minute 21.64 seconds, and she celebrated wildly at the finish despite so many of her rivals having still to race.
‘Today I really attacked, I felt fast, at one point I felt a bit long but I still had a good feeling and I was aware that I had done a good race,’ Brignone said.
‘Let’s hope this is the right time.’
The time indeed had finally come for the 34-year-old to triumph at Cortina, with Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami was 0.58 seconds behind in second, with another Swiss, Corinne Suter, taking third place on the Olympia delle Tofane course.
Brignone has been in scintillating form this season. Her first-ever podium at Cortina on Saturday, with third place in the downhill, had given her top spot in the overall standings.
The Italian is now second in the super-G standings behind Gut-Behrami, renewing last season’s rivalry where the Swiss skiier won the overall title, along with taking the super-G and giant slalom globes, with Brignone runner-up in all three.