Austria’s Hutter Thwarts Gut-Behrami’s Bid for Fourth World Cup Globe with Sensational Home Downhill Victory

In a thrilling finale to the women’s World Cup downhill competition, Cornelia Huetter of Austria triumphed in Saalbach, her home country, depriving Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland of a fourth crystal globe. After winning the giant slalom, super-G, and overall titles, Gut-Behrami set out to become the fourth skier in history to join the ranks of superstars like Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn, and Tina Maze by winning four globes in one season. Huetter, who was behind Gut-Behrami by 72 points going into the last race, defied predictions by winning in a time of one minute and 45.08 seconds with a furious run down the Ulli Maier slope.

The Swiss sensation, Gut-Behrami, took to the course as the 14th starter but fell short, finishing a significant 1.89 seconds behind Huetter and settling for 16th place. Despite her remarkable achievements earlier in the season, Gut-Behrami fell 28 points short of the coveted downhill title, with Italy’s Sofia Goggia securing third place in the final standings despite being absent due to injury.

The race witnessed a fierce battle for supremacy as Slovenia’s Ilka Stuhec and Italy’s Nicol Delago mounted formidable challenges. Stuhec, finishing just 0.17 seconds behind Huetter, narrowly missed out on victory, while Delago secured third place, trailing by 0.49 seconds, in challenging warm and windy conditions.

Despite encountering two delays during the race, Stuhec, displaying exceptional form, almost usurped Huetter’s lead, only to falter in the final stretch. Delago’s remarkable performance, edging out early leader Christina Ager by a mere hundredth of a second, added to the intensity of the competition.

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Reflecting on her sensational victory, Huetter expressed her elation, describing the moment as “amazing” and emphasizing the significance of winning on home turf. Despite experiencing pre-race jitters, Huetter delivered a flawless performance, fueled by determination and a desire to make the most of the final opportunity of the season.

Meanwhile, Gut-Behrami, while disappointed with the outcome, acknowledged the overall success of her season, becoming the first Swiss female skier since Vreni Schneider in 1995 to claim three different globes in a single campaign. Gut-Behrami’s path to the overall title was facilitated by Shiffrin’s absence from 11 races following a downhill crash, while Goggia’s season-ending injury allowed Gut-Behrami to close the gap in the downhill standings.

For Huetter, the victory marked only the second World Cup win of her career, accompanied by her maiden crystal globe. The race also served as a poignant farewell to Norway’s Ragnhild Mowinckel, the 2018 Olympic downhill silver medalist, who concluded her illustrious career with a 20th-place finish.

As the curtains draw on another captivating World Cup season, Huetter’s triumph stands as a testament to perseverance and resilience, while Gut-Behrami’s achievements underscore her status as one of skiing’s most formidable talents.