(Reuters) – Italy’s Sofia Goggia made a stirring return to competition as she won the women’s super-G in Beaver Creek, Colorado on Sunday for her 25th World Cup victory in only her second race since breaking her right leg in February.
Goggia covered the Birds of Prey course in a time of one minute 03.90 seconds to beat defending overall World Cup champion Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland by 0.48 seconds.
Austria’s Ariane Raedler finished third for her second World Cup podium finish with a run that bumped compatriot Cornelia Huetter, who edged Goggia to win Saturday’s downhill race, into fourth place.
“Today I felt happy and I brought my joy on skis and I said, with the (starting) number 13, one of the last numbers of the first group, if I end up with the green light then I am going to do the samba,” said Goggia.
“But there is one thing, I am not Brazilian, I am Italian. I am from Bergamo, and Bergamo is well known for polenta so the only thing that I can do is polenta,” she added while mimicking the stirring motion of preparing polenta.
The weekend at Beaver Creek capped a remarkable return to competition for Goggia, who broke her tibia during a giant slalom training crash in Italy 10 months ago.
Gut-Behrami set the early pace in Beaver Creek but it was short-lived as Goggia, who went out four skiers later as the 13th of 49 women from the starting hut, took over with a courageous and intense run.
Goggia showcased great timing and power, particularly over the lower portions of the formidable track, to pick up her seventh World Cup super-G win.
“It was not so difficult as a super-G but the visibility was really low,” said Goggia. “But I knew that I had to stay a little bit like careful and pay attention to the first five gates and then I could let my horses run.”
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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