Emma Aicher triumphed in the latest women’s super-G event following the Winter Olympics, securing her fifth World Cup victory on Saturday and intensifying the battle for the season discipline crown. The versatile German skier demonstrated exceptional performance by clocking the fastest split times in the initial two sections of the Aliga course in Soldeu, Andorra, making her the first competitor with multiple super-G triumphs this season. Expressing her satisfaction with the achievement, Aicher mentioned, “It feels pretty good, to be honest. I had a lot of fun skiing today.” Despite not completing the super-G at the recent Milan Cortina Games, where she clinched silver in the downhill and team combined events, Aicher finished 0.88 seconds ahead of New Zealand’s Alice Robinson.
Robinson’s second-place finish narrowed the gap to current World Cup super-G leader Sofia Goggia to just 20 points with three events remaining, including another competition on Sunday at the same venue. Sofia Goggia, the leader, trailed Aicher by 1.32 seconds, securing the sixth position. Meanwhile, Canadian skier Val Grenier from St. Isidore, Ontario, concluded the race in the 20th spot overall. Robinson, who previously won the season’s opening super-G in Switzerland last December, expressed her pride in maximizing her performance in familiar sections, leading to her podium finish. Corinne Suter, who emerged victorious in the downhill event the day before, claimed the third spot, finishing 0.98 seconds behind Aicher and was the only skier to complete within a second of the winner’s time.
Under perfect sunny conditions, Aicher delivered an almost flawless run on the demanding course, where only 37 out of 55 participants finished their runs. Celebrating her victory by pumping her fist at the finish line with a significant lead, Aicher expressed surprise at her nearly nine-tenths of a second advantage. Despite facing challenging sections during the super-G part of the course, Aicher’s strong performance propelled her to overtake Lindsey Vonn and secure the third position in the super-G standings, trailing Goggia by 96 points. Lindsey Vonn has been absent from competition since sustaining a severe leg injury during the Olympic downhill event. Two-time Olympic champion Federica Brignone finished more than two seconds behind the leader. Brignone, who returned from a broken leg just before the Milan Cortina Games and triumphed in the super-G and giant slalom, struggled with the course’s numerous jumps and opted out of the Friday downhill event.
The race was briefly halted due to a serious crash involving Ricarda Haaser, who was evacuated from the hill on a rescue sled. The Austrian ski federation confirmed that Haaser suffered a fractured tibial plateau in her left knee and would return to Austria for medical treatment.