Italy's Pirovano completes World Cup downhill coup, securing title with 3rd victory

Until the beginning of March, Laura Pirovano had never been on a World Cup podium in 124 races.

On Saturday, the Italian earned her third downhill victory and secured the discipline title, a prize Lindsey Vonn was favourite to win until getting injured at the Olympics and ending her season prematurely.

"It's not possible, it's crazy," the 28-year-old Pirovano said. "I have a lot of emotion, I still can't understand everything. I am just beyond happy."

Pirovano's only remaining challenger for the title, Emma Aicher, finished fifth, as the German skier reduced the gap to leader Mikaela Shiffrin in the overall standings to 95 points with three races remaining.

Shiffrin has not raced in downhill since her crash in a World Cup race on the Olympic course in Cortina d'Ampezzo in January 2024, but the American was expected to start in Sunday's super-G.

Pirovano completed her stunning downhill season by denying Olympic and world downhill champion Breezy Johnson what would have been the American's first-ever triumph on the World Cup.

Pirovano beat Johnson by 0.15 seconds, with Aicher's German teammate Kira Weidle-Winkelmann finishing 0.25 behind in third at the World Cup finals in Kvitjfell, Norway.

Italy's Laura Pirovano wins 3rd race of season, captures World Cup downhill title

"I knew the race would have been really difficult so I felt honestly not so good," Pirovano said in a course-side interview.

"I was afraid to watch the times when I crossed the finish line and I was so surprised to see the green light. Everything is still unbelievable."

The Italian had racked up four fourth places but never better until getting back-to-back wins, both by the smallest margin of one-hundredth of a second, on home snow in Val di Fassa two