Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami secured her third Alpine skiing World Cup crystal globe of the season by winning the women’s super-G title in Saalbach, Austria. Prior to this, she had already clinched the overall and giant slalom titles and still has a chance to grab a fourth globe in the downhill event.
Gut-Behrami finished in seventh place in the final super-G race of the season, which was won by Czech skier Ester Ledecka. This result was enough for Gut-Behrami to claim the super-G title with a 30-point lead over Italian skier Federica Brignone, who came second in the race. Norway’s Kajsa Vickhoff Lie finished third.
Expressing her joy, Gut-Behrami stated, “I’m so happy, super proud about that. Super-G is the discipline I really love and so to win the globe again is unbelievable.” This victory marked her fifth title in super-G. She also acknowledged the challenging conditions of the race but appreciated the opportunity to ski in such circumstances.
With the super-G globe in hand, Gut-Behrami now has the potential to join the elite group of female skiers who have won four globes in a single season. This achievement has only been reached by Americans Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn, as well as Slovenia’s Tina Maze.
Currently leading the downhill standings, Gut-Behrami holds a 19-point advantage over Italy’s Sofia Goggia, who was unable to compete due to a tibia injury. She is also 68 and 72 points ahead of Austrians Stephanie Venier and Cornelia Huetter, respectively.
Ledecka’s victory in the super-G race, with a 0.28-second lead over Brignone, ended her dry spell since February 2022. The 2018 Olympic champion’s win propelled her to a higher standing in the rankings, with Huetter finishing in third place after placing fifth in the competition.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Toby Davis)
