Federica Brignone took her first career podium finish in super-G in the Word Cup race in Grandvalira. It was a battle against nature for the skiers
ADVERTISEMENTFederica Brignone took her first career podium finish in super-G in the Word Cup race in Grandvalira.
It was a battle against nature for the skiers with heavy snow and winds causing a three-hour delay.
The Italian sealed the win with a 0.13 margin over second placed Laurenne Ross.
“It was not the best conditions for the best racers,” said Brignone after her unexpected victory, “but then I took advantage of my luck and skied my best. I tried to push every single turn.”
For Laurenne Ross her second place was an equally impressive mark in her career. It was just her second World Cup podium.
“I got on the lucky side of things today and took advantage of it,” she said.
Rounding off the surprise top three was Austrian Tamara Tippler who also celebrated her second podium finish.
Lindsey Vonn crashed out of contention when she appeared to lean too far into a turn and slid into the fencing. The American stayed down and had to be taken off the course by a medical team.
Her close rival Lara Gut was the next racer and a conservative run led her to finishing 16th 1.15 seconds off the pace. It was enough for Gut to leapfrog above Vonn and into top place in the overall standings.