CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Three out of six American skiers, including Lindsey Vonn, were able to race in Saturday’s downhill training run at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre before the event was canceled due to weather.
The first training run, scheduled for Feb. 5, was also canceled after heavy snowfall in Cortina the day before. Friday’s second training run proceeded in its entirety, though not without multiple delays (one for a crash and another for fog).
Twenty-one of 46 skiers raced Saturday, the final training run before the women’s downhill medal event Sunday, Feb 8. Two hours passed between today’s initial weather delay due to fog and FIS’s decision to call the event.
American Breezy Johnson posted the fastest time Saturday, clocking in at 1:37.91. Vonn finished third in 1:38.28. Jackie Wiles came in last at 1:41.85 after topping Friday’s training run.
Scroll below for full results from every skier as well as highlights from the session.
Downhill training canceled for half the field
Race organizers made the decision to cancel the rest of the training run because of the snow and fog on the Olympia delle Tofane.
Skiers who had not yet gone were allowed to go to a lower portion of the hill so they could get more time on the Olympic course ahead of Sunday’s downhill. Their times did not count, however, since they did not race the same course as the other skiers.
The decision will not affect Sunday’s downhill because one training run was already completed. At least one training run has to be done for a downhill to happen.
Women’s final Olympic downhill training results
Twenty-one skiers completed runs down the course, and two other participants elected not to start, before the training run was canceled due to fog and snow:
- Breezy Johnson, USA ….. 1:37.91
- Kira Weidle-Winkelmann, Germany ….. 1:38.12
- Lindsey Vonn, USA ….. 1:38.28
- Ariane Raedler, Austria ….. 1:38.34
- Emma Aicher, Germany ….. 1:38.75
- Sofia Goggia, Italy ….. 1:38.77
- Federica Brignone, Italy ….. 1:38.84
- Kajsa Vickhoff Lie, Norway ….. 1:38.88
- Laura Pirovano, Italy ….. 1:38.91
- Cornelia Huetter, Austria ….. 1:38.96
- Nina Ortlieb, Austria ….. 1:39.02
- Mirjam Puchner, Austria ….. 1:39.12
- Ilka Stuhec, Slovenia ….. 1:39.12
- Jasmine Flury, Switzerland ….. 1:39.46
- Elena Curtoni, Italy ….. 1:39.64
- Nicol Delago, Italy ….. 1:39.67
- Alice Robinson, New Zealand ….. 1:39.76
- Romane Miradoli, France ….. 1:39.95
- Malorie Blanc, Switzerland ….. 1:40.39
- Corinne Suter, Switzerland ….. 1:40.72
- Jackie Wiles, USA ….. 1:41.85
- Marte Monsen, Norway ….. DNS
- Ester Ledecka, Czechia ….. DNS
- Janine Schmitt, Switzerland ….. DNS
- Isabella Wright, USA ….. DNS
- Keely Cashman, USA ….. DNS
- Laura Gauche, France ….. DNS
- Delia Durrer, Switzerland ….. DNS
- Nadia Delago, Italy ….. DNS
- Valerie Grenier, Canada ….. DNS
- Julia Pleshkova, Individual Neutral Athletes ….. DNS
- Rosa Pohjolainen, Finland ….. DNS
- Camille Cerutti, France ….. DNS
- Elvedina Muzaferija, Bosnia and Herzegovina ….. DNS
- Jordina Caminal Santure, Andorra ….. DNS
- Cande Moreno, Andorra ….. DNS
- Barbora Novakova, Czechia ….. DNS
- Elisa Maria Negri, Czechia ….. DNS
- Cassidy Gray, Canada ….. DNS
- Matilde Schwencke, Chile ….. DNS
- Mary Bocock, USA ….. DNS
- Nicole Begue, Argentina ….. DNS
- Alena Labastova, Czechia ….. DNS
- Katarina Srobova, Slovakia ….. DNS
- Anastasiia Shepilenko, Ukraine ….. DNS
- Rebeka Jancova, Slovakia ….. DNS
Fog delays downhill training
Fog rolled in to the top of the Olympia delle Tofane course in Cortina, putting the training run on hold with roughly half the field still to go. Twenty-one skiers had completed their runs and two did not start when the course was put on hold.
Lindsey Vonn cruises in downhill run
Lindsey Vonn was shaky in a couple of spots, including near the bottom of the course where she also had an error Friday. But she again showed no obvious sign of her wrecked left knee, and she shaved two full seconds off her time, finishing today’s run in 1:38.28.
She’s currently third, 0.37 seconds behind leader and American teammate Breezy Johnson.
Vonn gave a small fist pump when she finished – as if to say, check – before walking through the mixed zone and stopping briefly to tap Johnson on the shoulder. “Nice run,” she told her teammate, before moving along.
Near-crash derails American Jackie Wiles
Jackie Wiles topped the leaderboard in Friday’s first downhill training session, but she was not as successful today after she nearly crashed in the top section.
Wiles posted a time of 1:38.94 Friday to lead the field. Her time today was almost three seconds slower: 1:41.85.When Wiles finished her run, she took off her goggles, put her hands on her hips and did the little “choke” hand signal by her neck.
American Breezy Johnson takes early lead
Great run for Breezy Johnson. Looked smooth and in control whole way down and her time of 1:37.91 put her in first place. (With many skiers still to come.) Her time was almost three seconds better than the first training run Friday.
Johnson raised her fist in celebration after she’d finished.
Italian star goes from cauldron to slopes
Sofia Goggia had a bit of a rough run, having to save herself at least twice. Understandable, given she couldn’t have gotten much sleep. The Italian lit the cauldron in Cortina.
World Cup race rescheduled for after Olympics
The downhill that was scrubbed after Lindsey Vonn’s crash will now be held in March.
Organizers cancelled the downhill in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, after three of the first six skiers – Vonn included – crashed. Vonn suffered a torn ACL, bone bruising and meniscus damage in her left knee, but is determined to still ski at the Milano Cortina Olympics.
The International Ski Federation said Saturday the race is being moved to Val di Fassa, Italy, and be held on March 6. That means there will be two downhills and a super-G at Val di Fassa, the final speed races before the World Cup finals.
What time does Olympic women’s downhill training start today?
The final women’s Alpine skiing downhill training session is scheduled to begin Saturday, Feb. 7 at 5:30 a.m. ET in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.