Nicol Delago wins first World Cup Downhill, Lindsey Vonn shines ahead of home Olympics in Milan-Cortina

Italy’s alpine ski team continues its strong run with less than three weeks left before the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. On Saturday, Nicol Delago delivered a landmark moment by winning her first World Cup race in the downhill on home snow in Tarvisio. The result added to the growing confidence around the Italian camp as Olympic preparations enter the final stretch.

The race also underlined the remarkable form of Lindsey Vonn. At 41, the American legend finished third, securing her fifth podium in five downhill races this season. With the Olympics approaching in Italy, both Delago’s breakthrough victory and Vonn’s consistency sent a strong message to the rest of the field.

Nicol Delago’s breakthrough and Lindsey Vonn’s experience light up Tarvisio

Nicol Delago topped the timing sheets with a winning margin of 0.20 seconds over Germany’s Kira Weidle-Winkelmann. Lindsey Vonn followed closely, just 0.26 seconds behind the Italian. Delago had shown strong signs earlier by leading the final training session on Friday. Until now, her best World Cup results had been three second-place and two third-place finishes. Her younger sister, Nadia Delago, who won Olympic bronze in downhill at the 2022 Beijing Games, finished 10th in this race.

The Tarvisio downhill returned to the World Cup calendar for the first time in 15 years. Vonn was one of only two skiers in the field with prior racing experience on the course. In her earlier appearances at Tarvisio across different disciplines, she had recorded two victories and four second-place finishes. After the race, Vonn explained that while the track itself felt unfamiliar, she clearly remembered the electric atmosphere.

Talking about the race, it was quite challenging due to fog hanging over the middle section of the course, reducing visibility. Delago briefly lost control when her skis split apart in the fog but recovered quickly. She then increased her lead at every split and celebrated joyfully at the finish. Vonn posted the fastest speeds at both checkpoints, reaching 136.3 kph, but a slight detour into fresh snow cost her time.

In the downhill standings, Vonn extended her lead to 144 points over Emma Aicher. She also moved up to third overall with 510 points. The Olympic downhill in Cortina is set for February 8, with a super-G scheduled in Tarvisio on Sunday.





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