Press release -
Laura Pirovano's victory secures the Downhill Crystal Globe
What a sensational World Cup finale for Laura Pirovano in the Downhill. The 28-year-old Italian athlete secures the Downhill Crystal Globe with victory in Kvitfjell on Saturday. This is her third successive win in this discipline. Second place in the Downhill overall ranking goes to shooting star Emma Aicher. In the men's Downhill, two HEAD Worldcup Rebels reach the podium with Franjo von Allmen second and Vincent Kriechmayr third. Franjo von Allmen finishes the Downhill season in second place overall, Vincent Kriechmayr is fourth.
"Laura Pirovano's performance today was absolutely brilliant. She is competing for the Crystal Globe, goes all in, attacks the slope and finishes in the lead to bring it home," said HEAD Racing Director Rainer Salzgeber. "She so deserves the Globe. She skied so many great races, always just missing the podium. Then she went and won both races in Val di Fassa, and the decider in this finale. It is unbelievable. She has taken a huge step up. Emma Aicher is finding her way to the top, too. She is still young and has had a really fantastic Downhill season. In the men's event, finishing second and third behind the Kvitfjell dominator, Dominik Paris, is a superb result. Franjo von Allmen demonstrated yet again in this race that he is ready for the Crystal Globe. He is also very young, and the races since the Olympics have not been easy with so much attention on him. That is why I am very pleased that he put in such an amazing performance again today. Vincent Kriechmayr has not had such a great season this year. Overall, though, we have done very well. On Monday and Tuesday we will be doing the first tests here. I hope that he will continue to compete.
"This is incredible, I still can't believe it"
What a finale for Laura Pirovano. Her two debut victories in both Downhill events in Val di Fassa and winning the final race in Kvitfjell secured the Crystal Globe in this discipline for the Italian athlete. "This is incredible, I still can't believe it. So many emotions, and I still can't take it all in. I don't know what has happened. I had the same feeling during every race the whole of the season. I thought the race today was not perfect either, so I was surprised to see the green light at the finish. I thought, this can’t be possible. It is simply crazy!" said Laura Pirovano.
Emma Aicher is second in the Downhill World Cup
Ariane Rädler from Austria just missed her first Downhill podium in fourth place by four hundredths of a second. Emma Aicher from Germany was fifth, landing her in second place in the Downhill overall ranking. "If someone had told me a year ago where I would be standing today, I'd have said I'm happy to take that. I am proud of that and am pleased with the consistent results that I have achieved in all four disciplines," said Emma Aicher. Points were also picked up in the Downhill by Corinne Suter from Switzerland in sixth place, Cornelia Hütter and Nina Ortlieb, both from Austria, in eighth and ninth, and Kajsa Vickhoff Lie from Norway in 15th place.
"This podium means a lot to me"
Two HEAD Worldcup Rebels took to the podium in the final men's Downhill race of the season: Franjo von Allmen from Switzerland in second place, and Vincent Kriechmayr from Austria in third place. Franjo von Allmen, who has notched up 15 podiums in the World Cup so far, finished the Downhill World Cup in second place overall, and Vincent Kriechmayr landed in fourth place. "This podium means a lot to me. I am satisfied with second place overall in the Downhill, confirming my position from last season. Everything considered, I really can't complain, although there are some things that I could do better," explained Franjo von Allmen at the finish. "It was a good race. Maybe I could have saved two, or maximum three, tenths of a second," said Vincent Kriechmayr, and on the future of his career: "It could very well be that I will continue."
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