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VAL D’ISERE, France – Corinne Suter received the season-opening ladies’s World Cup downhill race Friday and Nicole Schmidhofer was injured in a high-speed crash that despatched her by means of the protection fencing.
Descending at greater than 100 kph (62 mph) close to the top of her run, Schmidhofer misplaced management after touchdown a soar and whereas approaching a proper flip. When she veered off the course, the sharp edges of her skis minimize by means of the protection netting.
The Austrian landed out of view of TV cameras. She acquired medical assistance on the scene and was transported off the hill on a sled about quarter-hour later.
Schmidhofer, the 2018-19 downhill champion and 2017 super-G world champion, was one in every of 4 skiers to get in bother on the course, the place visibility was an issue due to alternating shadow and sunny spots.
The Austrian ski federation mentioned Schmidhofer doubtless ruptured the ligaments in her left knee and was taken to a clinic in Innsbruck for additional examination. Austrian ladies’s workforce coach, Christian Mitter, mentioned she additionally had abrasions on her face.
Defending general champion Federica Brignone of Italy, Joana Haehlen of Switzerland and Alice McKennis Duran of the US crashed as properly, however all have been capable of ski down the slope.
Schmidhofer’s accident halted the race for 20 minutes as course employees wanted time to restore the fencing.
Having began earlier than the incident occurred, Suter edged Sofia Goggia by 0.11 seconds for her second profession win.
The Swiss skier acknowledged that flat lights brought on issues throughout her run as properly.
“It was a tough race. High and center half have been good, on the underside I had some errors. After the end I believed it wouldn’t be sufficient for the win,” mentioned Suter, who has earned all of her seven downhill podium outcomes up to now 11 races.
Final season, Suter grew to become the primary skier to win each the downhill and super-G titles in the identical season since American nice Lindsey Vonn achieved the feat in 2015-16.
Breezy Johnson was 0.20 seconds behind in third for her first profession top-three end, bettering one spot from her earlier finest.
The American had already been among the many quickest skiers in the course of the two coaching days, coming runner-up to McKennis Duran on Wednesday and posting the quickest time the next day.
“I don’t assume something has sunk in but, so I feel I’m in all probability simply going to maintain it that manner and simply preserve working in the direction of tomorrow,” Johnson mentioned. “The snow in most locations was truly so much higher, it was just a bit bumpier in some spots, and so much sooner with the race wax and everyone going for it. It was an excellent race.”
Keely Cashman jumped from bib 46 to land in seventeenth and seize her first profession World Cup factors, whereas Jackie Wiles — who has been snowboarding persistently quick in coaching runs — landed in twenty third. Bella Wright additionally began for the Individuals, however completed simply outdoors the highest 30, in thirty fifth.
Marie-Michele Gagnon was the highest Canadian in 18th.
Total World Cup chief Petra Vlhova completed 2.35 seconds off the lead and outdoors the highest 20.
Three-time general champion Mikaela Shiffrin skipped the occasion. The American has opted to concentrate on coaching in her core disciplines, slalom and GS.
One other downhill on the identical course is scheduled for Saturday.
World Cup – Ladies’s Downhill – Val d’Isere – Dec. 18, 2020
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