Italian Skier Pirovano Captures Back-to-Back Wins, Ends Vonn’s Season Title Hopes

Italy's Laura Pirovano secured consecutive World Cup downhill victories on home soil, overtaking injured American skiing legend Lindsey Vonn in the standings. The 28-year-old Italian won both races by razor-thin margins, including a 0.01-second victory that effectively ended Vonn's championship pursuit.

Italy’s Laura Pirovano delivered back-to-back World Cup downhill victories on her home slopes this weekend, effectively ending American skiing icon Lindsey Vonn’s bid for a season title after the 41-year-old suffered a leg injury at last month’s Milano Cortina Olympics.

The 28-year-old Italian skier claimed her maiden World Cup victory on Friday in Val di Fassa by the narrowest possible margin, then duplicated that success Saturday by edging Austria’s Cornelia Huetter by just 0.01 seconds. Switzerland’s Corinne Suter rounded out the podium, finishing 0.05 seconds behind Pirovano.

Vonn had dominated the downhill discipline throughout the season before her injury, collecting two victories and five podium finishes across five competitions to maintain the points lead.

Following her weekend sweep, Pirovano now commands the standings with 436 points, while Germany’s Emma Aicher sits second with 408 points heading into the final downhill event at the World Cup finals in Norway on March 21. Aicher placed tied for 12th in Saturday’s race.

“It’s even more incredible than yesterday, I can’t take it in. It’s all surreal,” Pirovano said after her victory, noting that her 0.01-second margin represented roughly 28 centimeters on the course. “The margin of one hundredth, twice in a row. I think it’s payback for all those times the hundredths went against me.”

Despite her injury setback, Vonn’s 400 points remain within reach of several competitors, including Germany’s Kira Weidle-Winkelmann with 351 points, Huetter at 344, and American world and Olympic champion Breezy Johnson, who has 333 points after finishing fourth Saturday.

Before the weekend races, Vonn reflected on her championship aspirations through a social media post, stating: “Winning the title was my goal… and I came painfully close to achieving it.”

“I clawed my way back to #1 in the world after being retired for six years with a partial knee replacement and that alone was an incredible achievement I won’t ever forget,” Vonn wrote. “Even though in a few days no-one will remember that I almost won the season title, I will remember…I just wish I had a chance to fight until the end to try and get it.”

In the overall World Cup standings, American Mikaela Shiffrin maintains her lead with 1,133 points compared to Aicher’s 1,016. Shiffrin, the Olympic slalom champion and record-holder for World Cup victories, does not compete in downhill events.

The women’s competition continues Sunday with a super-G race.