Germany's Emma Aicher claimed victory in the women's World Cup super-G in Tarvisio, Italy, finishing 0.27 seconds ahead of American Lindsey Vonn. The 22-year-old's win marks her fourth career World Cup triumph and boosts her Olympic medal hopes ahead of the Milan-Cortina Games. Vonn secured her seventh podium in eight races this season despite tough foggy conditions.
In challenging visibility on the Prampero course, Emma Aicher mastered the technical sections to clock the fastest time of 1 minute 14.04 seconds, securing her second super-G win of the season. Lindsey Vonn, the 41-year-old American and 2010 Olympic downhill champion, led at the first three intermediates but lost time in the closing gates, finishing second for the second time against Aicher this year. Czech racer Ester Ledecka took third, 0.94 seconds back, marking her first podium of the season in the discipline where she won Olympic gold in 2018.
The race highlighted Vonn's remarkable comeback after a five-year retirement and a titanium knee replacement in 2024, allowing her to ski pain-free. Her consistency—no worse than fourth in speed events—positions her as a favorite for downhill and super-G medals at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, starting February 6. Vonn has a perfect podium record in Tarvisio, a course absent from the World Cup for 15 years until this weekend, where she now holds two wins, five seconds, and one third.
New Zealand's Alice Robinson, the pre-race super-G leader, crashed hard into the final gate after the jump but walked away shaken, appearing to avoid serious injury; she finished nearly three seconds off the pace. Italy's Sofia Goggia placed sixth, 1.13 seconds behind, taking the super-G standings lead by 10 points over Vonn. Meanwhile, defending overall champion Federica Brignone, sidelined since a double leg fracture last April, was named to Italy's team for Tuesday's Kronplatz giant slalom and will decide on competing after training.
"It was tough conditions with the visibility but I’m really happy to be on the podium again," Vonn said. "Of course, I’m close to another win, but it is what it is. I think I’ll save the hundredths for Cortina." Aicher added, "I'm pretty happy with how I skied from top to bottom... it was fun to ski."
The women's tour stays in Italy for the Kronplatz event, with one more speed weekend in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on January 30-31 before the Olympics.
