World Cup hat-trick and Vonn match for Go-Go Goggia
Defending women's Olympic downhill champion Sofia Goggia of Italy sent a strong message to the chasing pack this weekend in Lake Louise, becoming the first woman since the vaunted Lindsey Vonn to win all three races on this Canadian stop of the women's FIS Alpine World Cup tour.
It’s a very good sign when you’re being discussed in the same breath as Lindsey Vonn.
Sofia Goggia, the Italian alpine speedster and defending downhill gold medallist from the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics, won three straight events this weekend at Lake Louise, high in the Canadian Rockies. In doing so, she became the first woman since Vonn (who did it three times, the last time in 2015) to secure a Lake Louise world cup hat-trick of golds.
While Goggia, still just 29, does have the 2018 Olympic gold medal in her trophy cabinet, she still has some way to go to catch up with the American legend, Vonn, who's a four-time overall world champion and took part in four Winter Olympic Games, winning gold and a pair of bronzes in the bargain.
Vonn, a veteran of the tour when Goggia came on board back in 2014, spent the weekend sending support and messages of affection to her close friend and former competitor on social media.
“Of the three days (and three wins) today was the best day,” said Goggia after winning the first women’s super-G race of the season, in this all-important Olympic year. “Last year I was not able to make the switch from downhill to super-G but here I was able to do it - to switch from one to the other.
“Today was the confirmation that I could find a way and I’m super happy right now -- today is the best victory,” added Goggia, whose two previous golds on the weekend came in her specialty downhill discipline. “300 points in one weekend -- I couldn’t have done any more!”
With just under two months to go before the Beijing Winter Olympic Games -- and a chance to defend her Olympic crown -- Goggia will need to avoid the kind of injuries that plagued the earlier part of her career, while also pushing the limits of her skiing. It's a tall order but, judging by her current form, Goggia is more than equal to the task.
Next weekend, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, she will compete in two more super-G events.
Bad weather spoils Kilde's hat-trick hopes
Mother nature robbed Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway from putting a similar exclamation point as Goggia on his weekend in Beaver Creek, Colorado. The two-time Olympian, returning to full fighting fitness after a knee injury, has found a rich vein of form.
His sizzling performances on Friday and Saturday, when he won the world cup super-G and downhill events, make him one of the favourites heading toward the Beijing Games and the men's alpine events.
While Goggia has Olympic gold in her recent past, Kilde, a two-time Olympian in 2014 and 2018, is still chasing that elusive Olympic podium. And that’s something, given his current speed and high confidence, that could likely be rectified come February in Beijing.
“I love to be here and I love to be back competing in front of fans,” said the Norwegian racer about his two consecutive golds (which makes eight in his career). “...A great crowd and great skiing -- and so that’s just a great package! I tried to do my best and keep high confidence."
With the clock ticking down toward the Beijing Olympic Games, Kilde and Goggia -- both 29 years of age and both doing some of the best skiing of their careers -- will be ones to watch closely as the final countdown approaches.