The Italian ski team and Lindsey Vonn are performing exceptionally well as the Winter Olympics draw near. Nicol Delago secured her first World Cup win in a downhill event in Tarvisio, Italy, with Vonn finishing in third place, marking her fifth podium finish in five downhill races this season. Val Grenier, representing Canada, finished in 39th place.
Delago’s victory followed her Italian teammate Giovanni Franzoni’s first-place finish in a super-G race in Wengen, Switzerland. The upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Games will kick off on Feb. 6, with the women competing in Cortina d’Ampezzo and the men in Bormio.
Delago triumphed with a lead of 0.20 seconds over Kira Weidle-Winkelmann of Germany and 0.26 seconds over Vonn. Prior to this win, Delago had achieved three second-place finishes and two third-place finishes. Her younger sister, Nadia, who won the bronze medal in downhill at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, finished in 10th place in the same event.
This race marked the first World Cup downhill event in Tarvisio in 15 years. Vonn, one of the two current athletes who had raced in Tarvisio before, expressed her joy at returning to the podium under challenging conditions. Vonn remembered the exceptional atmosphere and support from the fans, highlighting the special connection she has with the venue where she has previously secured wins and runner-up finishes.
In the downhill standings, Vonn extended her lead to 144 points over Emma Aicher of Germany. With four more World Cup downhills remaining this season, Vonn sits in third place in the overall standings with 510 points, trailing Mikaela Shiffrin and Camille Rast.
The race faced challenges due to fog affecting visibility on the course. Delago nearly lost control in the foggy section, but she recovered swiftly and maintained her lead. Vonn, the fastest in speed checks, encountered some difficulty midway down the course due to high speed, causing her to slow down in fresh snow.
The Olympic downhill event in Cortina is set for Feb. 8, with a super-G race scheduled in Tarvisio the following day.