Goggia dances at the finish

LIVE from 7 p.m.: Women’s Super-G in Beaver Creek

Ariane Rädler (right) caused a surprise during Sofia Goggia's victory.

(Bild: AP/John Locher, GEPA)

Ariane Rädler caused a big surprise at the Super-G in Beaver Creek on Sunday: The racer from Vorarlberg, who had been repeatedly stopped by injuries in the past, sensationally raced to third place in the victory of the Italian Sofia Goggia. 

Switzerland's Lara Gut-Behrami came second (+0.48 seconds), Rädler was 55 hundredths off Goggia's time. The second best Austrian was Conny Hütter (+0.60), who had triumphed in the downhill on Saturday, in fourth place.

Conny Hütter

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

For 29-year-old Rädler from Vorarlberg, who has already suffered four cruciate ligament ruptures, the result was also "a satisfaction", as she said in the ORF TV interview in the finish area. "It was a lot, but in recent years I've been able to recover and stabilize." However, it didn't feel like such a good run, she noted.

Hütter "with a hundred against plastic sticks"
The Styrian Hütter reported that after the Golden Eagle she "hit the plastic pole with a hundred with her hand" and thought: "Ouch, that hurts. I should have just raced, but I lost time." Mentally, it wasn't easy after the previous day's success. "The whole thing was emotional yesterday. I'm glad that I managed it the way I did."

Goggia's 25th World Cup victory
Goggia produced a brilliant run on the course set by her coach Giovanni Feltrin, which was quite straight and therefore at high speed, to take her 25th World Cup victory. She danced with joy at the finish. Goggia had broken her shin and tibia in her right leg during giant slalom training in Ponte Di Legno in February and later explained in media interviews that she had gone through a deep crisis in the meantime. Before she regained her strength and prepared for her comeback.

Here is the final score:

It didn't feel like a comeback race, it just felt like a race, said Goggia on Sunday. "It was a race with an attack, just the way I am. But it wasn't a risk." She had three or four kilograms less than last season and a tough preparation and a lot of physiotherapy behind her, the plates were removed in September and she was back on skis for the first time at the end of October.

Ortlieb and Haaser drop out
Stephanie Venier came 13th (+1.48), Christina Ager 14th (+1.50) and Mirjam Puchner 15th (+1.52). Magdalena Egger in 23rd and Lisa Grill in 30th also scored points, while Michelle Niederwieser missed out on a point in 31st. Nina Ortlieb and Ricarda Haaser were eliminated.