Goggia resume winning ways in Lake Louise, takes season's first women's downhill
Sofia Goggia picked up where she left off in Lake Louise, Alta.
The Italian ski racer's win Friday in the season-opening women's World Cup downhill was her fourth straight victory at the Banff National Park resort, including her sweep of last year's three races.
"I'm super-happy with the outcome and result but I'm still not happy with my performance because I think I was a bit too wild and dirty today," Goggia told The Canadian Press.
She nevertheless laid down a winning time of one minute 47.81 seconds.
Just six hundredths of a second separated first from third with reigning Olympic downhill champion Corinne Suter of Switzerland crossing the line four-hundredths back of Goggia.
Austria's Cornelia Huetter finished third.
"I was really in tension and anxiety when they were coming down, because you never know. It is a game of hundredths with this course, which lasts three kilometres," Goggia said.
"Winning by four hundredths of a second, what is it? It's uncountable."
Another downhill is scheduled for Saturday followed by Sunday's super-G.
LAKE LOUISE HAT TRICK
Goggia was just the third woman to score a Lake Louise hat trick last season after Lindsey Vonn of the U.S. (2015, 2012, 2011) and Germany's Katja Seizinger (1997).
After winning four of the first five women's downhills in 2021-22, Goggia crashed in a super-G in Cortina, Italy, just two weeks out from the Olympic Games.
Despite leg and knee injuries, the 30-year-old earned silver in Beijing's downhill behind Suter, who finished second to Goggia in the overall downhill last season.
"We have to push each other to the limit and I'm excited for tomorrow," Suter said Friday.
"Two or three little mistakes I made today, but I think when you go fast, it happens and it is normal."
Marie-Michele Gagnon of Lac Etechmin, Que., was disappointed to finish 24th.
"We did a lot of giant slalom training to improve my technique and hopefully take the next step, so we did a lot less downhill training," Gagnon said.
"My feeling is a bit off right now as you can probably tell watching me go down. It's just not as dialed in as normal.
"It's a matter of just trying to find the good balance of attacking, but attacking in the right way."
Stefanie Fleckenstein of Whistler, B.C., was 39th. The 25-year-old skied as an independent Friday. She's trying to work her way back onto the national team.
"I've been independent for two years now," Fleckenstein said. "It's definitely tough as a speed skier because the national teams get priority with a lot of training.
"The goal is definitely to use my Nor Am spot this year on the World Cup and try to re-qualify, but it's going to be a battle."
The season's first race was held under cloudy skies and a temperature of -19 with a light breeze.
U.S. ski star Mikaela Shiffrin, who won the downhill in 2017 and super-G in 2018 in Lake Louise, did not travel to Alberta. She's concentrating on slalom and giant slalom this season.
The world governing body of ski and snowboard, FIS, attempted to start the downhill season earlier this fall with cross-border men's and women's races that start in Zermatt, Switzerland and finish in Cervinia, Italy.
The men's races Oct. 29-30 and women's Nov. 5-6 were called off because of poor snow conditions, so downhill's season-openers reverted to its traditional Lake Louise venue.
FUTURE OF LAKE LOUISE WORLD CUPS UP IN THE AIR
Switzerland's Lara Gut, celebrates her victory on the podium at the women's World Cup super-G ski race in Lake Louise, Alberta., Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)
The future of Lake Louise's World Cups is uncertain, however.
Alpine Canada has committed only to keeping a men's speed race in Western Canada with a location still to be determined.
The introduction of women's World Cup giant slalom in Mont-Tremblant, Que., in 2023, and falling on the same traditional weekend as women's speed races in Lake Louise, is a strike against Lake Louise retaining what's been the only women's downhill races in North America.
"I'm sorry because Lake Louise is a fairy tale place," Goggia said. "I really do like it but not just because I win. It's the last time for a hat trick. We will see, but I just (won) one so I am happy with it."
Each women's World Cup race in Lake Louise offers 132,000 Swiss francs (C$190,000) in prize money split between first to 30th on a descending scale. The winner earns 50,000 (C$70,000) down to 550.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.