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≡ ALPINE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡
The FIS Alpine World Championships are nothing like the FIS World Cup. The World Cup season is a months-long tour of faraway slopes, with lots of travel and logistics between the skiing. And over that period, the best overall skiers emerge with the season’s Crystal Globe.
Not at the World Championships – now continuing in Saalbach, Austria – where anything can happen and often does. Like on Saturday.
American Breezy Johnson, 29, came into her fourth Worlds not having won a World Cup race in her eight seasons on the World Cup tour. She had seven medals, all in Downhills, and had finished 19th in the Super-G on Thursday.
She drew the first starting position, and roared down the course in 1:41.29, setting the stage for the rest of the field.
But no one could catch her!
The no. 5 starter, Czech star Ester Ledecka, won who a shock gold in the 2018 Olympic Super-G in Korea, moved into second at 1:41.50 and was passed for second by the no. 9 starter, Austria’s Mirjam Puchner, 32, the 2022 Olympic Super-G silver medalist, but with just eight World Cup medals in 10 seasons on the World Cup tour. She timed 1:41.44. The big names were to come.
Italian star Sophia Goggia, the 2018 Olympic champ and always a favorite, started 14th and finished 16th. Teammate and overall World Cup leader Federica Brignone started 16th and finished 10th. Reigning World Cup champ Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) didn’t finish and Cornelia Huetter (AUT), a two-time winner on the World Cup tour this season, finished in 1:41.63 and had to settle for fourth.
American Lauren Macuga, who won the Super-G bronze earlier, also skied well and was fifth (1:41.67) from the no. 18 slot and 2009 Worlds gold medalist Lindsey Vonn started 21st and finished 15th (1:43.25). Jacqueline Wiles did not finish.
“I was just trying to hammer, trying to send and really just keep charging, and stay in the low tuck and execute all of my things,” said an overwhelmed Johnson later.
“It’s definitely a fast course in places. It was fun. I was just kind of moving, you know, section to section and just trying to execute my plan.
“I’m just gonna enjoy this. Because I’ve had a lot of times where, you know, I gave my best and I didn’t win.”
Wow! It’s an amazing turn for Johnson, who was suspended for 14 months from October 2023 to December 2024 by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for “whereabouts” failures. Now, she will forever be introduced as “World Champion.”
It was also the first-ever World Alpine champs medals for Puchner and Ledecka!
The U.S. already has two medals at the Worlds – Johnson and Macuga – and neither from the returning Vonn or Mikaela Shiffrin, who will be contesting the Slalom and Giant Slalom. The men’s Downhill comes on Sunday.
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No upset in the men’s Super-G on Friday, as reigning World Cup champion Marco Odermatt (SUI) won his third career Worlds gold – Downhill and Giant Slalom in 2023 – in 1:24.57, ahead of home favorite Raphael Haaser (1:25.57) and surprising Norwegian Adrian Sejersted (1:25.72).
Odermatt has won seven World Cup races this season, including two Super-Gs. American Ryan Cochran-Siegle tied for seventh at 1:25.88, with teammates Bryce Bennett at 15 (1:26.83) and River Radamus in 19th (1:27.09).
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