Debut double puts Laura Pirovano in the lead in the Downhill World Cup

What an awesome weekend for Laura Pirovano and the HEAD Worldcup Rebels! Laura Pirovano wins her first two World Cup victories in both Downhill events in Val di Fassa on Friday and Saturday to take the lead in the discipline ranking. On Friday, the 28-year-old Italian wins by one hundredth of a second in front of Emma Aicher, and on Saturday by one hundredth of a second ahead of Cornelia Hütter. Corinne Suter finishes just four hundredths of a second later to secure a triple triumph for the HEAD team. On Sunday, Elena Curtoni and Kajsa Vickhoff Lie follow that up with a double victory in the Super-G. All-in-all, the HEAD athletes take seven out of nine podium places in Val di Fassa. Atle Lie McGrath puts the finishing touch to the HEAD weekend on Sunday by winning the Slalom in Kranjska Gora, extending his World Cup lead in this discipline.

"Everyone has been on the edge of their seat watching Laura Pirovano. She has had so many fourth and fifth places, and in Crans Montana she had victory in her sights right up until just before the finish line. But if you keep fighting, the effort will eventually pay dividends. For that to happen at a home race makes it all the more beautiful," said HEAD Racing Director Rainer Salzgeber. "I was also really pleased for Elena Curtoni. She has the same service man as Laura. And for a service man to be behind the winner in all three races in one weekend is something very special. We won seven out of nine podium places in the women's events, so what's happening here is truly exceptional. At the men's events, considering the bitter disappointment at the Olympic Games, this is a brilliant outcome for Atle Lie McGrath in the Slalom. He has done the maximum he could with these 100 points. It was a very close race and the result is a dream come true for him."

"I am just so happy"

Laura Pirovano has put in impressive performances with so many top placings in the World Cup, yet a podium finish had eluded the 28-year-old until this weekend. Now she has finally made her breakthrough. She won the Downhill at her home race in Val di Fassa on Friday, one hundredth of a second in front of her HEAD team-mate Emma Aicher. "I skied well and attacked every gate. It still hasn't really sunk in yet. I am just so happy," said a delighted Laura Pirovano at the finish.

Seven in the top ten

Emma Aicher was also satisfied with second place: "One hundredth is nothing, but Laura did incredibly well. I am very pleased for her that she won. I'm extremely satisfied that I can ski consistently every weekend." The HEAD World Cup Rebels not only produced an impressive double victory, they also landed a total of seven skiers in the top ten: Cornelia Hütter and Ariane Rädler from Austria finished fifth and sixth, Corinne Suter from Switzerland was eighth, Kajsa Vickhoff Lie from Norway ninth, and Elena Curtoni from Italy tenth. Points were also notched up by Nina Ortlieb from Austria in eleventh place, Allison Mollin from the USA 13th, Delia Durrer from Switzerland 25th, and Tricia Mangan from the USA 29th.

Triple triumph for the HEAD Worldcup Rebels

On Saturday, Laura Pirovano followed up with another World Cup victory in the second Downhill of the weekend. Cornelia Hütter finishing in second place and Corinne Suter in third place ensured a triple triumph for the HEAD Worldcup Rebels. The three HEAD athletes skied a real Downhill cliff-hanger and in the end were only five hundredths of a second apart. "It's simply incredible. Winning two races to get to the podium for the first time, both by just one hundredth of a second, that's crazy. I've never had much luck, but yesterday and today have paid it out in full. I feel like it has all been paid back," says Laura Pirovano. "I'm happy for her, she's just missed the podium so many times. It's her home weekend, and it's great she gets to enjoy it," said Cornelia Hütter. "Unfortunately, I wasn't so happy with the lower section of the run. But when I saw my place and time, then everything was all right again," said Corinne Suter.

Laura Pirovano leads the Downhill World Cup

Her two victories mean that Laura Pirovano now has 436 points and takes the lead in the Downhill World Cup. The Italian athlete is 28 points clear of her HEAD colleague Emma Aicher. Lindsey Vonn is still in third place. Ariane Rädler finishing sixth and Kajsa Vickhoff Lie seventh once again underlines the strong team performance of the HEAD Worldcup Rebels in Saturday's race. Emma Aicher came twelfth, Nadine Fest from Austria 19th, Allison Mollin 21st, Elena Curtoni 26th, and Laura Gauche from France 30th.

First victory since 2022 for Elena Curtoni

Elena Curtoni won the third victory for the HEAD women's team in Val di Fassa in the Super-G on Sunday, the third win for an Italian competitor this weekend in front of her home crowd. For the 35-year-old athlete it was the fourth win of her career, the first since her victory in the Downhill in St. Moritz in December 2022. This is her second win in a Super-G following her victory in Cortina d'Ampezzo in January 2022. "I don't know what I did better than the others. I gave it everything I had. It really means a lot to me. So much has happened in the past four years, but I have never stopped fighting. I will enjoy every day now," said Elena Curtoni.

Double victory with Kajsa Vickhoff Lie

In the Super-G, the HEAD World Cup Rebels celebrated a double victory with Kajsa Vickhoff Lie finishing in second place. Cornelia Hütter finished seventh, Laura Pirovano eighth, Corinne Suter 13th, Nadine Fest 14th, Keely Cashman 17th, Nina Ortlieb 19th, Ariane Rädler 22nd, and Laura Gauche 25th.

Atle Lie McGrath goes to the final with a 41-point lead

The HEAD Worldcup Rebels also had reason to celebrate in the men's team. Atle Lie McGrath kept his nerve in the Slalom in Kranjska Gora on Sunday, ultimately winning with a wafer-thin lead of just one hundredth of a second having clocked the fastest time on the first run. With his sixth World Cup victory, all in the Slalom, the 25-year-old Norwegian athlete has extended his lead in the discipline ranking to 41 points on his way to the final in his home country. "It was so tough, I was so nervous. I really had a lot of flashbacks to the Olympic Games," said Atle Lie McGrath, recalling what happened in Bormio. "I will ski with heart, feeling and flow in the final in Hafjell. That's my plan!" Linus Straßer from Germany finished in fifth place, just nine hundredths of a second behind Atle Lie McGrath, and Paco Rassat from France came in ninth. Points were also bagged by Benjamin Ritchie from the USA in 19th place, Hans Grahl-Madsen from Norway 21st, Jesper Pohjolainen from Finland 22nd, and Albert Popov from Bulgaria 28th.

Just missing the podium in the Giant Slalom

Atle Lie McGrath finished fourth in the Giant Slalom in Kranjska Gora on Saturday, just missing the podium. The Norwegian athlete was in eighth place after the first run and moved up four places with the fastest time on the second run. Anton Grammel from Germany finished in the top ten as well, landing in eighth place. World Cup points also went to Alexis Pinturault from France in 16th place, and Bridger Gile from the USA in 27th place.