Italian cuts through tracks ‘like samurai’
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea – Italian Sofia Goggia carved up the Jeongseon slope “like a Samurai” to win the women’s downhill on Wednesday and leave American Lindsey Vonn with a bronze medal in her final run in the marquee event of Olympic Alpine skiing.
The bubbly 25-year-old from Bergamo clocked one minute, 39.22 seconds to take gold ahead of Norwegian Ragnhild Mowinckel, whose time of 1:39.31 won her a second silver after her second place in giant slalom last week.
“I still don’t realize I‘m first, I was really focused, I moved like a samurai,” said Goggia.
“Usually, I‘m really chaotic but I wanted to take in every little detail, every particular in the morning. I believed in myself – and then what counts, counts.”
Mowinckel’s late run meant Vonn had to settle for third place in 1.39.69, her third Olympic podium making her the oldest female medalist in Alpine skiing at the Winter Games.
“I gave it all today, skied a great race. Sofia just skied better than I did,” said the 33-year-old, who was reduced to public tears for the third time at Pyeongchang after the race.
”It was tough to contemplate this being my last Olympic downhill. I struggled to try to keep the emotions together, but I left it all on the mountain like I said I would.
“I skied really well, but I think Sofia is untouchable today.”
This was no shock in the manner of snowboarder Ester Ledecka’s win in the super-G at the weekend as Goggia leads the World Cup downhill standings, even if the Italian had finished second behind Vonn in their two most recent meetings.