Speed--Late Season Situation

Laura Pirovano watching her lead(s) hold--barely!!--at Val di Fassa.

    March 6th-8^th Speed meet was off the scope. Laura Pirovano took her first two WAWC victories--both by 0.01!—in Friday and Saturday’s Downhills. Both races were extremely tight: Friday’s T20 within a second; Saturday’s T20 within 01.50. Both races had two tied positions in the T20. (Timing is done to the thousandth of a second but displayed/scored to the hundredth, I guess because, for instance, a chipped plastic shovel (ski tip) cover sticking out could trip the electric eye, and accommodating such infinitesimal anomalies is considered unsporting. I agree.)

    Lolli bounced from 10^th to 1^st in the DH standings, on 436 points--28 ahead of Emma Aicher with one race to go. Kira Weidle-Winkelmann (351), Conny Huetter (344), and Breezy Johnson (333) round out the quartet within range to take the title, though only Aicher has a real chance, with a Lillehammer podium if Pirovano doesn’t score at least T5. How quickly standings may change when someone goes nuts.

    Laura skied brilliantly. T10 in this season’s first six DHs, she was due for a podium; consecutive victories show she found a deep groove. Well done Laura!!

    Breezy took 3d and 4^th; Kira 4^th and 5^th; Conny 5^th and 2^nd. Ariene Raedler’s 2x6th was the other most consistent DH scores. Big dogs fared okay: Emma’s 2^nd on Friday and Corinne Suter’s 3d on Saturday from bib 18. (I think Aicher’s cusp official Big Dog. She’s coming on so strong; her GS improvement is very impressive. She could be the next Vonn/Hofl-Riesch/Shiffrin.)

  With a 63-point lead, Super G is almost in Goggia’s pocket. It’s a tricky circumstance: Sofia hammers every race; at Lillehammer, she’ll need to ski strongly and safely. A 6^th place or better locks down the title, regardless of Alice Robinson’s result.

    So DH will be the dramatic season-ending competition, with Slalom (Shiffrin) and Giant Slalom (Scheib) decided.

 Elena Curtoni grooving Val di Fassa SG - 8 March 2026.

    8 March Val di Fassa SG was as good as ski racing gets, IMO. The top 16 finished within a second!! TOP 16 WITHIN A SECOND. I disdain all-caps but what am I supposed to do here? How often has that happened?

    Robinson (bib 6) and Miradoli (bib 7) tied for first, then Elena Curtoni, starting next, put 0.27 on them, enough for the win. Elena’s one of WAWC’s most elegant personalities, IMO. She may retire after this season. 289 WAWC starts—4xT5 EOS SG (2^nd 2022); 3xT10 EOS DH (4^th 2023). 4x1st; 9x2/3podium. A solid career.

    Kajsa Lie ON IT for 2nd -- Val di Fassa SG.

Kajsa Lie ran a gutsy flier for 2^nd. With SG 5xT10, including 2^nd, 3d, 5^th, in seven races, and an 11^th and a 14^th, Kajsa’s SG campaign has been a touch subpar, I think. She’s in 4^th place in the SG standings, which isn’t bad at all, and is in touch for EOS 3d with a strong finish at Lillehammer if Emma Aicher falters. On-form, Kajsa is right there with anyone in both Speed disciplines. I really look forward to her putting down a strong full season; she can take SG title, no question. Spiff up GS to T15-17, and Lie will be in Overall hunt for several years.

The best was yet to come. Asja Zenere, from bib 33, put down her career best to finish third by 0.01 from Kajsa. With 3xT10 from 51 WAWC starts (2 in GS; all 14xT20s GS except 2xSG), this was Asja’s first podium. She was stoked.

Asja Zenere digging for third at Val di Fassa SG.

Zenere expressing herself.

 Swiss skier Malorie Blanc, at 22 having a quasi-breakout SG season (3xT10 with a win and 2x6th; a 20^th hobbling her standing), scored an excellent 6^th (bib 11).

    Malorie’s compatriot Stefanie Grob, 21, copped 10^th place from bib 35 in her 6th^th WAWC SG start (33d altogether).

    Austrian Nadine Fest (27), a real trooper who’s suffered a couple bad knee injuries, was 14^th from bib 28, beating some big names.