VAL D’ISERE, France — Federica Brignone dominated to win a World Cup super-G on Sunday and trim the hole within the total standings to Mikaela Shiffrin, who was certainly one of many prime skiers to fail to complete at Val d’Isere.
Brignone beat Kajsa Vickhoff Lie by virtually half a second, ending 0.44 forward of the Norwegian skier, who was a shock second to stop an Italian one-two within the French Alps.
The 33-year-old Brignone, who received a pair of large slaloms at Tremblant, Quebec earlier this month, yelled in pleasure and put her head in her arms when she noticed her time after crossing the road.
“I have to be honest, everything was good for me today, even in the parts that maybe I wasn’t at 100% immediately, I tried to get back into my rhythm and push even more, that was my strength today,” mentioned Brignone, who received only one race final season.
It was a twenty fourth World Cup win for Brignone, making her essentially the most profitable Italian feminine skier and shifting her degree with Gustav Thöni in second total for her nation, behind solely Alberto Tomba who received 50 races.
“I don’t look at records, I look at how I’m doing today or recently. Each race is a story in itself and at the moment each race this season is fantastic in its own way,” Brignone mentioned.
It was Lie’s fourth podium and her first in super-G since one other second place in Garmisch, Germany virtually three years in the past.
“I’ve been struggling a bit going into the race season,” Lie mentioned. “I know I can go fast and I’ve been really confident but I’ve just struggled to have the race level. I gave it all today and I trusted myself, so I’m super happy.”
Brignone’s Italian teammate Sofia Goggia was third after impressively managing to atone for an early mistake. Goggia, who’s shaking off a chilly, received the one different super-G to date this season earlier this month.
Shiffrin failed to complete after lacking a turning gate on a blind part that troubled a number of athletes on Sunday. Olympic champion Lara Gut-Behrami additionally skied out.
“Lucky for me I didn’t see them (Shiffrin and Gut-Behrami),” Lie mentioned. “I just saw Fede and it looked really easy so I thought, ‘OK, I’ll just do the same,’ and I need to thank her for that.”
Almost half of the 58 starters failed to complete on the O.Ok. course, which was set by one of many Italian coaches, Paolo Stefanini. The non-finish charge of 44.8% was the fourth-highest in all World Cup races since at the least the 1999-2000 season, behind three slalom occasions.
Shiffrin, who skipped Saturday’s downhill on the Saslong course, nonetheless leads the general World Cup standings the place she is bidding for a record-tying sixth title.
However, the American skier noticed her lead reduce to 63 factors forward of 2020 champion Brignone, who’s having fun with her finest begin to a season.
“I’ve certainly given myself some lovely Christmas presents,” Brignone mentioned with amusing. “I said before the season that I’d probably had my best summer training, I really missed very few days and managed to push almost always and that makes it easier to do it in the race.
“Honestly, up to now I’ve not really thought about (the overall title). It’s more the greatest dream again, but I’m just trying to enjoy the races … I really want to ski in my own way, I want to try to give everything and see what happens. We’re only in December so let’s stay calm.”
Next up on the ladies’s World Cup circuit is an evening slalom in Courchevel on Thursday.
