The China Mail - Curtoni ends World Cup drought with Val di Fassa super-G win

Curtoni finished 0.26 seconds ahead of Norway's Kajsa Vickhoff Lie in second place. Another Italian, Asja Zenere, took an unexpected podium finish after starting in bib number 33.

The 35-year-old Curtoni, who had struggled so far this season, claimed the fourth World Cup victory of her career, and her first since winning a December 2022 downhill at St Moritz.

"The past two years have been a rollercoaster," said Curtoni, who suffered a fracture at the base of her spine after a crash in the 2023-24 season and was sidelined for 12 months.

"It's been really hard to come back from the last injury. I'm not getting any younger.

"I had some really bad times, but I kept working really hard and kept fighting, so you just need to believe in yourself."

Laura Pirovano came eighth to round out a memorable weekend for the 28-year-old Italian after she won the downhills on Friday and Saturday, her first career World Cup victories.

Sofia Goggia was ninth and is on course for a first super-G crystal globe, holding a 63-point advantage over New Zealand's Alice Robinson with one more event to come in the discipline.

Mikaela Shiffrin competed for the first time since winning Olympic slalom gold last month, finishing 1.69 off the pace down in 23rd but still padding her overall World Cup lead.

Emma Aicher, second in the overall standings, skied out halfway down the course when well set.

Shiffrin is 125 points clear of the German with six races left, starting with a giant slalom and slalom next weekend in Are, Sweden.

The circuit then moves to Norway at the end of the month for its season finale.

W.Tam--ThChM