Italy’s Elena Fanchini upset the odds for a surprise World Cup downhill victory on home snow at Cortina d’Ampezzo. The 29-year-old bombed down the
Italy’s Elena Fanchini upset the odds for a surprise World Cup downhill victory on home snow at Cortina d’Ampezzo.
The 29-year-old bombed down the shortened Olimpia delle Tofane piste to clock a winning time of one minute and 9.53 seconds.
It was her first World Cup victory since another downhill triumph at Lake Louise just over nine years ago.
Racing over the line to claim second place was Larisa Yurkiw.
The 26-year-old Canadian, whose career has been blighted by injury the last few years, was 0.15 seconds off the pace as she celebrated her very first world cup podium finish.
Viktoria Rebensburg, the Olympic Giant Slalom champion, was third three tenths of a second behind the winner.
The German now has two podium finishes in the downhill this season following a second palce finish in December’s Val d’Isere.
World Cup overall leader Tina Maze of Slovenia was 13th.