Super-G in Kvitfjell

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Federica Brignone secured the super-G victory in Kvitfjell

(Bild: GEPA)

Federica Brignone has won the super-G in Kvitfjell. The Italian came out on top in a real hundredth of a second thriller ahead of Lara Gut-Behrami from Switzerland (+0.06) and compatriot Sofia Goggia (+0.09). The best ÖSV skier was Stephanie Venier in eighth place (+0.39), despite starting the race in a weakened condition. Nadine Fest was able to set a small exclamation mark with star number 31. 

The women's Alpine World Cup Super-G in Kvitfjell on Sunday brought a podium filled with experienced racers. In a tight race, as in the previous day's downhill, 34-year-old Italian Federica Brignone won by 0.06 seconds ahead of 33-year-old Swiss skier Lara Gut-Behrami and 0.09 ahead of her 32-year-old compatriot Sofia Goggia. The best of the Austrian ski team was the weakened world champion Stephanie Venier in eighth place, just 0.39 seconds behind.

The final result:

On a tricky, difficult course, no skier finished without a mistake, including Cornelia Hütter. The winner of Friday's downhill and third on Saturday overshot in the middle section, which ultimately cost her around 1.5 seconds. "I parked myself completely," she said on ORF. "I went there with too little direction, but still wanted to risk going in cheekily. But then I overleveraged a bit, I didn't have enough tension." In general, the skiers underestimated the speed. "Then there's a full corner in there."

As the best skier in the ÖSV, Hütter has as good as lost her small chance of winning the discipline World Cup three super-Gs before the end of the season. Her gap to Gut-Behrami has grown to more than 250 points. The Swiss racer is 65 points ahead of Brignone, while third-placed Goggia already has 159 points to make up. In the overall World Cup, Brignone extended her already large lead over Gut-Behrami by a further 20 points. However, with a bonus of 251 points, it is still a long way from being decided.

Venier defied symptoms of illness
Venier had shown signs of angina the days before and therefore decided not to compete in Saturday's downhill. In addition to the small gap to the winner, it is therefore all the more remarkable that the Tyrolean made up time in the lower section. "That was really good after the last few days. I skied well, stayed on the line and didn't risk my shirt off my back. Because that simply wouldn't have been physically possible," said Venier about her performance on the very twisty course.

Stephanie Venier

(Bild: GEPA)

Of the other Austrians, Nadine Fest impressed with bib number 31; the Carinthian just missed out on the top ten by 0.72 seconds behind Brignone. Downhill runner-up Mirjam Pucher also kept the gap under a second at 0.85. Her compatriots Christina Ager and Ariane Rädler had a plus of 1.26 and 1.35 seconds respectively in the results list. Magdalena Egger did not finish in the World Cup points, Carmen Spielberger was eliminated. For the ÖSV team, the result is the weakest in seven Super-Gs so far this season.

Gut-Behrami was not satisfied. "My run was anything but good," said the Swiss racer. "I was totally off the line in the middle section. That's something that's happened to me again and again this season." It was Brignone's 35th World Cup victory, her eighth this season. "It was very difficult, it wasn't easy," she explained. "I didn't have a good feeling, I didn't do a perfect race. But nobody did. I tried everything and took a lot of risks." The next two super-Gs will take place in La Thuile in Italy, 20 minutes from Brignone's home.