Chaos at Crans-Montana, downhill race suspended after three bad falls

Caos in Crans-Montana, where the last World Cup women’s downhill race before the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics was scheduled for Friday morning. Poor visibility and inadequate safety conditions prompted the jury to cancel the event after three out of six athletes went out, including Lindsey Vonn, suffering from a left knee, who could not hold back her tears and now seriously risks not being able to participate in the Five Circles event. Her right knee, it should be remembered, had a prosthesis inserted last year. Hugging her teammate Jacqueline Wiles, the outfielder seemed genuinely upset about what had happened.

Aldo Seghedoni

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The downhill in Crans Montana had started in the worst way and then immediately stopped: Austrian Nina Ortlieb crashed in the same spot where she got hurt five years ago. She lost her balance on a curve and flew into the safety net. Fortunately, the’airbag deployed and the athlete was able to get back up. “Conditions changed, visibility was bound to worsen and was the main reason for the’cancellation. We don”t want injuries in this sport, we don”t want to take any risks”: given the bad parade, Fis race director Peter Gerdol expressed himself as follows.

The damage, however, had already come for Marte Monsen as well, who may have compromised the Olympics with her fall. The Scandinavian, in the final section, lost grip at the’last corner and ended up in the nets sliding without a helmet to the finish line. It became necessary to use the toboggan to get her off the track.

Unfortunately, none of the Azzurri had received one of the first six bibs, including Sofia Goggia and Federica Brignone, who was returning to the downhill for the first time after a miraculous comeback and months of struggling to respond, physically and mentally, to last April’s tremendous injury.

Before the descent, a minute’s silence was observed for the victims of the New Year’s Eve fire. “Our thoughts are with you” is written on the finish banner and in various places on the parterre. The blue women were to compete with mourning on their arms to honor the memory of the six young compatriots of ours who died in the aftermath of the tragedy.