Ilka Stuhec became the first Slovenian to win the women’s downhill title after topping the podium at the season-ending race in the discipline in Aspen, Colorado.
ADVERTISEMENTIlka Stuhec became the first Slovenian to win the women’s downhill title after topping the podium at the season-ending race in the discipline in Aspen, Colorado.
The 26-year old, who had never reached a World Cup podium before this season, has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign winning seven times in total and four in the downhill.
Stuhec, who is second in the overall standings but has little chance of overhauling leader Mikaela Shiffrin, bombed down the course to set a winning time of one minute and 36.95 seconds.
Eight-time World Cup downhill champion Lindsey Vonn had to settle for second place.
Vonn has missed much of this season due to a fractured arm sustained in a pre-season training crash at Copper Mountain.
She was never in contention for the title, but the American is hunting a 78th career World Cup victory.
She’s already broken the female World Cup record for wins and is now aiming to edge closer to Ingemar Stenmark’s all-time record of 86.
She missed out on this win by just under seven tenths of a second.
Italian Sofia Goggia was the only skier mathematically capable of overtaking Stuhec for the title.
But that was a long shot as Stuhec needed only three points to secure the globe.
Despite Goggia putting in an error-strewn performance down the course she still managed to save a little face and crossed over the line in third place.
That was enough for her to hold on to the season-long runners-up spot