Laura Pirovano overtook Lindsey Vonn in the women’s World Cup downhill standings on Saturday after claiming a second straight victory by the slimmest possible margin just 0.01 seconds during the race in Val di Fassa.
Vonn had dominated the downhill discipline earlier in the season, particularly through January. However, her campaign suffered a major setback after a season-ending crash at the 2026 Winter Olympics, leaving her with too few points to maintain the lead with four races still remaining.
Pirovano’s remarkable weekend on home snow in the Dolomites dramatically reshaped the standings. The 28-year-old Italian had never reached a World Cup podium in 124 races before her breakthrough victory on Friday. She followed that with another narrow triumph on Saturday, edging past Cornelia Huetter by the same 0.01-second margin
The race was tightly contested. Corinne Suter the 2022 Olympic downhill champion finished third, just 0.05 seconds behind Pirovano after briefly leading during her run and hitting speeds close to 133 km/h (83 mph). Early leader Breezy Johnson, the reigning Olympic and world downhill champion, slipped to fourth place, 0.64 seconds off the winning time.
Reflecting on her unexpected success, Pirovano said she had often felt unlucky in the past but believed the past two days had finally turned her fortunes around. Huetter also praised the result, saying she was happy for the Italian’s breakthrough.
With the win worth 100 World Cup points, Pirovano moved to the top of the downhill standings, now 36 points ahead of Vonn. Emma Aicher sits second overall with one downhill race remaining, scheduled for March 21 in Kvitfjell. Aicher finished tied for 12th in Saturday’s race, 1.06 seconds behind Pirovano, after placing runner-up the day before.
The result also had implications for the overall World Cup title race. Mikaela Shiffrin who does not compete in downhill saw her overall lead trimmed slightly but still holds a 117-point advantage over Aicher ahead of a super-G race scheduled for Sunday.
Seven races remain in the women’s World Cup season as Shiffrin pursues what would be her sixth overall title and her first in three years.
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