Super start for Swiss women in Cortina

Lara Gut-Behrami finally got the proverbial golden monkey off her back. After earning one silver and two bronze World Championship medals, Gut-Behrami finally completed her collection earning the gold medal in today’s super-G in the opening race of the FIS World Ski Championships in Cortina.

Making the day even sweeter for the Swiss was the silver medal performance of Corinne Suter who ended 0.34 seconds behind her teammate. Third place went to defending gold medalist, Mikaela Shiffrin, who appeared in her first speed race of the season earning the bronze medal nearly a half second behind.

Defending Olympic gold medalist Ester Ledecka (CZE) finished just shy of earning her first World Championship medal 0.53 seconds off the pace.

All eyes were on Gut-Behrami heading into today’s race. The Swiss star entered today with four consecutive super-G wins under her belt and was the clear favorite. In the past, the gold medals at major events have eluded Gut-Behrami, she also is still seeking her first Olympic gold. But today, she exceeded all expectations, leaving little doubt after he run that she would end the day as a World Champion.

Suter continued to be a force in major competitions. Today was her third career World Championship medal after earning second place in the downhill and third place in the super-G at the last edition of the World Championships in Are (SWE).

Meanwhile Shiffrin continued to be a magician of the White Circus. The American had only four speed training days this season and no one knew what to expect when she left the start gates. Were it not for a costly late mistake, she could have pulled off her second super-G gold medal as she held a 0.36 advantage over Gut-Behrami at the last split.

It was a long wait for the athletes to finally kick off the 2021 FIS World Ski Championships. Heavy snow forced the super -G on Monday to be moved to Tuesday. On Tuesday, it looked like all systems were go, until a fog rolled in, pushing the race back another two days until today. But it was worth the wait as blue skies and crisp temperatures welcomed the field.

The speed women will have a busy 48 hours after today’s super-G. Tomorrow, they will have their only chance at downhill training, which will be followed by the downhill race on Saturday.