KVITFJELL, Norway (AP) — German skier Emma Aicher won a World Cup downhill on Saturday for her first victory, one day after she earned the maiden podium result of her career.
Following a flawless second part of her run on the Olympiabakken course, Aicher edged out Lauren Macuga by 0.03 seconds, denying the American what would have been her first downhill triumph.
"It's unbelievable. I didn’t think this was going to happen, especially in downhill, but I’m really happy with my skiing right now. It’s nice," Aicher said.
The 21-year-old German prodigy was runner-up to winner Cornelia Huetter in Friday’s downhill. The Austrian placed third on Saturday, 0.19 behind.
Aicher, who wore bib 16 and started after most top-ranked downhillers had raced, brought both hands to her mouth in apparent disbelief when she saw her time at the finish.
Macuga left the leader seat immediately and went straight over to the German to hug her.
“Good job, that was so exciting!” the American told Aicher.
After the race, Macuga said she “can’t be upset about (losing by 0.03) as it’s my first downhill podium.”
The second place marked another highlight of the American's breakout season and came less than two months after she won a World Cup super-G, and three weeks after taking bronze in super-G at the world championships.
Macuga's previous best in downhill was fourth, from a race in Beaver Creek, Colorado in December.
Downhill world champion Breezy Johnson finished 0.62 off the lead in 10th, after she was third in Friday’s race.
Johnson was halted at the start for several minutes as course workers needed to repair the safety netting following a crash from the previous starter, Germany’s Kira Weidle-Winkelmann.
Lindsey Vonn was 0.95 off the pace in 16th in her ninth race since her comeback this season at the age of 40 with a new titanium knee after six years away from racing.
Aicher's win marked the first downhill victory for the German women’s ski team since Viktoria Rebensburg won a home race in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in February 2020. And no German skier had won in Kvitfjell since standout Katja Seizinger did so in the 1990s.
“It’s crazy I am one of them now, so it’s weird,” Aicher said.
Expectations on her have been high for years.
“I try to block that out and focus on myself. I can only control my skiing,” said Aicher, who was born in Sweden to a German father and a Swedish mother.
She was just 17 when she won bronze with Germany in the mixed-team event at the 2021 world championships, and was also part of the team that won Olympic silver in 2022.
That same year, she won three silver medals at the junior worlds — in slalom, GS, and downhill.
At last month’s worlds in Austria, Aicher competed in all events and finished sixth in both the super-G and the downhill.
Huetter, who won the downhill title last season, closed the gap on leader Federica Brignone in the discipline standings to 16 points with two races remaining.
The Italian finished fourth on Saturday, followed by teammates Laura Pirovano and Sofia Goggia in fifth and sixth, respectively.
A super-G on the same hill is scheduled for Sunday.
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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing
The Associated Press
