Sofia Goggia bows to Lindsey Vonn: "She took us to school"

She missed out on a podium finish for Sofia Goggia by 15 hundredths in the first downhill in St. Moritz, Switzerland, which opened the fast track season in the women’s World Cup. Taking the stage was an’endless Lindsey Vonn: the 41-year-old American, who returned to competition last season after a five-year hiatus from competition, dominated on the ‘Corviglia’ slope, returning to triumph almost eight years after the last time. Goggia was fourth, also preceded by surprising Austrian Magdalena Egger, a 24-year-old on her first career podium, and compatriot Mirjam Puchner.

Luca Giorgetti

Heavy gaps for all, because Vonn literally upset all the benchmarks, especially in the second part of the Swiss course where the American champion made the difference: Egger is the only one to maintain a gap of less than a second –98 hundredths – compared to the 1’29″63 that earned Vonn the 83rd career success in the top circuit, while Puchner and Goggia were 1″16 and 1″31 behind the winner, respectively. The Azzurra’s race went up: excellent feedback in the heart of the track, after an initial smooth section that saw her give ground.

“In my opinion it was a good race, overall – Sofia Goggia confessed at the finish line – I felt some imperfections right from the start, I lost grip at the third gate. In the middle part I could maybe be a little more incisive; in the sector, where Lindsey made the difference, there is definitely something to file. In that sector I tried a compromise between the abundant line of the first run and the narrower line of the second run: it paid off, but not enough, and the video analysis will be needed in the afternoon to understand more. At the top we all left a lot behind, especially from the Austrians who go strong in the flat sections”.

“I thought Vonn was one of the favorites: it is impressive that she won by this margin, recovering eight tenths in a single intermediate. She is a master when it comes to being soft: now it is my turn to file my descent, the gap is wide. But the season has just started: today she takes us all to school, no use denying it” concluded the Bergamasque.

Laura Pirovano opens her World Cup season with an eighth-place finish at 1″58 by setting the second-best mark in the most technical section, the one that saw Vonn dig the biggest difference with the others. “I did a decent race – said the 30-year-old – without any glaring mistakes and so I will have to figure out where to file something in view of tomorrow’s race, especially in the top section: the others can do something more and now we have to figure out how to improve”.