Pirovano’s Unstoppable March to Downhill Glory
The slopes of Kvitfjell, Norway, have witnessed an extraordinary turn of events in the recent World Cup downhill season. For years, Italian skier Laura Pirovano was a consistent presence on the circuit, yet the top of the podium remained elusive. After 124 races without a World Cup victory, Pirovano has not only broken that streak but has done so in spectacular fashion, clinching her third downhill win and, crucially, securing the discipline title. This remarkable achievement comes as a surprise, especially considering the season’s narrative was initially dominated by the formidable Lindsey Vonn, who was widely tipped to claim the title before an untimely injury at the Olympics brought her season to an abrupt halt.
“It’s not possible, it’s crazy,” exclaimed a visibly emotional Pirovano, a 28-year-old who is still processing the magnitude of her success. “I have a lot of emotion, I still can’t understand everything. I am just beyond happy.”
Her closest challenger for the downhill title, Emma Aicher of Germany, finished fifth in the Kvitfjell race. While this result did narrow the gap to overall World Cup leader Mikaela Shiffrin, Aicher remains 95 points adrift with only three races left in the season. Shiffrin, who has not competed in downhill events since a crash on the Olympic course in Cortina d’Ampezzo in January 2024, was expected to participate in the subsequent super-G event.
Pirovano’s sensational downhill campaign culminated in denying American skier Breezy Johnson, the reigning Olympic and world downhill champion, her first-ever World Cup triumph. Pirovano edged out Johnson by a mere 0.15 seconds, with Kira Weidle-Winkelmann, Aicher’s German teammate, securing third place, 0.25 seconds behind the winner.
“I knew the race would have been really difficult so I felt honestly not so good,” Pirovano admitted in a post-race interview. “I was afraid to watch the times when I crossed the finish line and I was so surprised to see the green light. Everything is still unbelievable.”
Prior to this month, Pirovano’s best results in downhill had been a series of four fourth-place finishes. Her breakthrough arrived two weeks ago on home snow in Val di Fassa, where she achieved back-to-back victories, both decided by the slimmest of margins – just one-hundredth of a second.
When asked about the sudden surge in her performance, Pirovano confessed to having no clear explanation. “I don’t know, truly. Skiing the other races of the season, the feeling was the same. I don’t know what’s happening, honestly,” she stated.
These recent triumphs saw her overtake the legendary Lindsey Vonn in the downhill standings. Vonn, in her second year back on the circuit after an initial retirement in 2019, had a dominant start to the season. She secured two wins and three additional podium finishes in the first five downhill races, establishing a commanding lead and appearing poised to claim a record-equalling ninth discipline title. However, her fortunes changed dramatically in the final four races.
Vonn suffered a significant setback when she tore her left ACL in a downhill race preceding the Milan Cortina Games – a race that was subsequently cancelled. Just a week later, during the Olympic downhill event, she sustained a severe injury to her left leg in a frightening crash, leaving her future in the sport uncertain.
The Kvitfjell event saw the women utilize the same course as the men for their downhill race. However, they commenced their runs from a lower starting point, which shortened the course and reduced overall run times by approximately 15 seconds.
In the men’s race, Italy’s Dominik Paris emerged victorious, marking a strong start to the World Cup finals for the nation, which secured two wins on the day.
