Press release -
Eight out of nine podiums for the HEAD Worldcup Rebels in Kvitfjell
The HEAD women's team swept away almost everything in Kvitfjell this weekend: In the Super-G on Friday, HEAD celebrated a triple victory with Cornelia Hütter, Elena Curtoni and Lara Gut-Behrami. Kajsa Vickhoff Lie's first World Cup victory followed on Saturday in the Downhill, where she also made Norwegian skiing history. Corinne Suter finished in third place. And on Sunday, HEAD again took all three podium places in the second Super-G with Nina Ortlieb, Stephanie Venier and Franziska Gritsch. In the men's Downhill on Saturday in Aspen, James Crawford raced to the podium in second place.
"In Kvitfjell we almost took the maximum that was possible. I don't remember us bagging eight out of nine podiums in one location before," emphasises HEAD Racing Director Rainer Salzgeber. "And Kajsa Vickhoff Lie's victory was really cool. Especially considering her story, how she fought her way back following her injury, having to take a whole season off in the process. And that she is now the first Norwegian female athlete to win a Downhill event is really great. The triple victory on Sunday was also awesome with all three athletes from one country with the same brand of skis. James Crawford had a brilliant race on Saturday. The extreme conditions made it a very difficult race. Shame he made a mistake on Sunday, because he was on his way to a very fast time."
First podium this season for Cornelia Hütter
The three-day World Cup weekend in Kvitfjell began on Friday with a triple triumph for the HEAD athletes in the first Super-G. Cornelia Hütter from Austria won just one hundredth of a second ahead of Elena Curtoni from Italy. Another eleven hundredths of a second later and Lara Gut-Behrami from Switzerland finished in third place. For Cornelia Hütter it was her fourth World Cup victory - the third in the Super-G and the first this season. The 30-year-old's most recent win in the Super-G was in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in January 2022. "I skied really well, it was a real fight. I am delighted that the hundredths of a second were on my side today," said Cornelia Hütter at the finish.
"At long last I had fun again"
Despite such a close finish, Elena Curtoni was also positive: "It's bitter, of course, but I'm happy with my performance. At long last I had fun again. I have found things very difficult recently." Franziska Gritsch was happy about seventh place. For the Austrian athlete it was her first top-ten result in Super-G. Ninth place was shared by Corinne Suter from Switzerland and Stephanie Venier from Austria. Ragnhild Mowinckel from Norway was 14th and Laura Pirovano from Italy finished in 15th place.
Kajsa Vickhoff Lie writes skiing history
The HEAD Worldcup Rebels continued their winning run in Kvitfjell in the Downhill event on Saturday. Kajsa Vickhoff Lie won her first World Cup victory and also wrote Norwegian skiing history. Kajsa Vickhoff Lie's victory was the first time a Norwegian athlete won a women's Downhill race. "It is incredible, a dream. I always want to have fun and you can't have more fun than that," said the 24-year-old, whose best World Cup results previously were two second-place finishes. Corinne Suter from Switzerland also stood on the podium in third place. Nina Ortlieb from Austria finished ninth, and the two Italian athletes Elena Curtoni and Laura Pirovano finished in 13th and 15th place.
All-Austrian, all-HEAD podium on Sunday
Another triple triumph for the HEAD Worldcup Rebels rounded off the World Cup weekend in Kvitfjell on Sunday. Nina Ortlieb, Stephanie Venier and Franziska Gritsch made it an all-Austrian podium in the second Super-G. The improving conditions were also to the advantage of the HEAD women's team. "This is unbelievable, but the conditions I had were definitely better than at the beginning of the race. Overall, however, it all pans out. This result brings a great deal of relief and joy," explained Nina Ortlieb. For the 26-year-old it was the second World Cup victory following her win in the Super-G in La Thuile in February 2020. Emma Aicher from Germany was pleased to finish in fifth place, her best World Cup result so far. With Wendy Holdener from Switzerland in eighth place, Elena Curtoni and Corinne Suter twelfth, Cornelia Hütter 14th and Ragnhild Mowinckel 15th, five more HEAD Worldcup Rebels finished in the top 15. The Super-G rankings are now led by four HEAD athletes ahead of the last race at the season finale: Elena Curtoni is in first place with 332 points ahead of Lara Gut-Behrami (313), Cornelia Hütter (307) and Ragnhild Mowinckel (306).
"I'm back at 100 percent"
In the men's Downhill in Aspen on Saturday, James Crawford from Canada finished second to claim his fourth World Cup podium. "It felt very nice to be back on the podium again," said the Super-G World Champion from Courchevel happily. "When I arrived here today, I didn't feel like I was still skiing my best following the World Championships. I think I was still a bit exhausted from the big event. But I managed to get up to race speed today and this result shows me that I'm back at 100 percent." Vincent Kriechmayr narrowly missed the podium by just seven hundredths of a second in fourth place. Behind the Austrian athlete, Johan Clarey from France finished in fifth place. The first Downhill event in Aspen on Friday had to be interrupted and then cancelled due to the poor weather conditions.
Stefan Babinsky just misses his first World Cup podium
Stefan Babinsky from Austria finished fourth in the Super-G on Sunday, missing his first World Cup podium by just 13 hundredths of a second. Vincent Kriechmayr was seventh, Justin Murisier from Switzerland eighth, and James Crawford and Alexis Pinturault from France finished in joint eleventh place.
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