Goggia Wins Another World Cup Downhill At Lake Louise

Lake Louise, Canada, Dec 5 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Dec, 2021 ) :Italy's Sofia Goggia continued her downhill dominance in Lake Louise on Saturday, grabbing her second victory in as many days as she looks toward the defense of her Olympic downhill gold at Beijing in February.

The World Cup downhill champion clocked 1min 48.42sec to beat Breezy Johnson into second place for the second straight day, the American finishing 84-hundredths of a second back.

Switzerland's Corinne Suter was third, 98-hundredths back, while for the second straight day American star Mikaela Shiffrin -- the overall World Cup leader -- was more than three seconds off the pace as she continues to find her form in her first speed races since January of 2020.

Shiffrin finished 38th, but maintained her lead in the overall standings ahead of slalom rival Petra Vlhova, with Goggia moving into third.

Goggia was denied a chance to compete in the 2021 World Championships on home snow at Cortina d'Ampezzo in February after breaking a bone in her right knee.

She had won four World Cup downhills before she was hurt, and her planned return at the end of the season never materialized as the final downhills of the season were cancelled.

But she has picked up right where she left off in the first two downhills of this campaign, pushing her run of downhill victories to six in six starts.

That streak is the longest since US speed queen Lindsey Vonn won six in a row leading up to the 2010 Olympics.

"For me it's really a joyful day because I achieved my second victory in a row which is now my sixth also," said the skier who has already been named as an Italy flag-bearer for the Beijing Winter Games in February.

In overcast conditions amid flurries of snow, Goggia was more than a second off her Friday time -- which saw her win by nearly a second and a half.

Surveying the scoreboard in the finish area, she gave a little "that was so-so" shake of her head, but it was more than enough to hold off all challengers.

"Today the weather was really different than yesterday. I knew with the gap I won with (on Friday) I could have skied not pushing 100%, so I did.

"I think I made a really solid run because when you have weather like this you can't interpret the terrain as you do when it's sunny.

"I made a really nice inspection and I knew the point at which I had to be really fast. I pushed in some points and I found the right balance."