Sofia Goggia upset by Kajsa Vickhoff Lie in Kvitfjell downhill as Mikaela Shiffrin secures fifth overall World Cup title
In the penultimate event of the season the double Olympic medallist Goggia finished second behind the Norwegian, who claimed a historic win on home snow. Shiffrin was fifth and effectively won her second consecutive big crystal globe.
Alpine Skiing
Kajsa Vickhoff Lie has become the first-ever Norwegian woman to win a downhill World Cup event as she beat Sofia Goggia on home snow in Kvitfjell on Saturday (4 March).
The recently crowned Super G bronze medallist set the fastest time early on and held onto her lead to claim her maiden win in the elite Alpine Sking series.
"We are so used to the (Norwegian) men winning downhills and I didn't even know that (I am the first woman), but that's not what I was thinking about," Lie said after the race to FIS.
"I wanted to win the downhill, that's been my dream and it's also been a dream to have a home race. So to have everybody here, I wanted to give them a show and I think I can do it now!"
Speed queen Goggia finished second after crossing the finish line 0.29 seconds behind Lie. The Italian claimed her fourth downhill globe and is the first woman to win the downhill title in three successive seasons since American icon Lindsey Vonn won six in a row between 2007/08 and 2012/13.
"I'm super happy, four downhill globes is not a few and three in a row it means a lot to me," the double Olympic medallist told FIS.
"This season was a tough one but I've been racing eight downhills in World Cup: I've won five, I've crashed in one and the worst result has been twice second place, so basically I'll take it! What can I say?"
Goggia joined five women to have won this globe at least four times: Vonn (8), Annemarie Moser-Pröll (7), Renate Götschl (5), Michela Figini (4) and Katja Seizinger (4).
Reigning Olympic champion Corinne Suter completed the podium, 0.41 seconds off the pace.
Mikaela Shiffrin only behind Marcel Hirscher and Annemarie Moser-Pröll for overall World Cup titles
Mikaela Shiffrin finished in fifth and even if she could not go level with Ingemar Stenmark's record of 86 World Cup wins she secured the overall crystal globe for the fifth time in her career, after 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2021/22.
The double Olympic champion is now tied with Luxembourg's great Marc Girardelli and only Austrian legends Annemarie Moser-Pröll (six) and Marcel Hirscher (seven) have more overall World Cup titles to their names.
"It's actually quite cool to achieve it before the end of the season," the 27-year-old told FIS after the race.
"It's quite special to have it now already, and I can take a little bit of weight off my shoulders. My big goal for the season was the overall globe and then the slalom and GS (giant slalom) globes were just under that, so those are kind of the final things that I would like to achieve, then I could be pretty satisfied for the season."
The women's World Cup will continue in Kvitfjell on Sunday with a second Super G in three days.
Results downhill in Kvitfjell Women's World Cup on 4 March 2023 (top 10)
- 1. Kajsa Vickhoff Lie (NOR) 1:32.36
- 2. Sofia Goggia (ITA) +0.29
- 3. Corinne Suter (SUI) +0.41
- 4. Ilka Stuhec (SLO) +0.61
- 5. = Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) and Ramona Siebenhofer (AUT) +0.79
- 7. Federica Brignone (ITA) +0.85
- 8. Breezy Johnson (USA) +0.87
- 9. Nina Ortlieb (AUT) +0.89
- 10. Priska Nufer (SUI) +0.95
Full official results here.
World Cup downhill standings after Kvitfjell downhill on 4 March 2023
- Sofia Goggia (ITA) 660 pts.
- Ilka Stuhec (SLO) 451
- Elena Curtoni (ITA) 308
World Cup overall standings after Kvitfjell downhill on 4 March 2023
- Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) 1,792 pts.
- Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) 996
- Petra Vlhova (SVK) 975