Bassino wins first World Cup downhill race in Crans Montana

With all eyes on Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) and Italy's pre-race hopes seemingly dashed with the absence of Sofia Goggia (ITA), Marta Bassino (ITA) picked the perfect time to swoop in for her first World Cup downhill win.

The giant slalom specialist stunned the speed favourites on Saturday in the Swiss resort of Crans Montana, skiing a near-perfect run from bib No. 3 that saw her finish a full second ahead of all but one other starter.

Bassino became the seventh different winner from seven downhill races in this unpredictable season, finishing well ahead of teammate Federica Brignone (ITA, +0.54s), with Gut-Behrami (+1.11s) completing the podium.

"It's amazing," said Bassino, whose six previous World Cup wins came in giant slalom and whose only previous global speed triumph came in super-G at last year's world championships.

The 27-year-old was brilliant on the more technical sections at the top and bottom of the Mont-Lachaux piste, clocking the fastest time in sectors 1, 2, and 5 while holding her own during the gliding section in the middle of the course.

"I know I'm skiing good, and I just tried to be fast and to be a downhiller in the flat part," said Bassino, whose only previous World Cup downhill podium was a second place in Bansko over four years ago.

"I think I've done a great run, I've done all the things that we have seen and that we have analysed in video," she said.

"I was bib No.3 and I think that helped a bit because the snow became slower."

The question of whether her time would hold up when the top seeds took their turn was answered four skiers later when the in-form Gut-Behrami, winner of her last four races, finished over a second behind despite not making any major errors.

None of the remaining skiers could touch Bassino either, with Brignone coming closest a day after she threatened to win Friday's shortened downhill before making a big mistake with the finish line in sight and finishing sixth.

After falling behind early on Saturday, Brignone made up time over Bassino on the flats to pull within a quarter of a second, but she couldn't sustain that momentum on the lower turns.

Despite once again missing out on what would have been her first World Cup downhill victory, the 33-year-old was delighted with her seventh podium in the discipline.

"I was pushing, I was free, I was able to do my best skiing," Brignone said.

"The upper part didn't come perfectly, but I'm really happy about the rest. I didn't make the mistake I did yesterday so I'm really proud about it."

Brignone pushed Gut-Behrami into third as the Swiss star's winning streak came to an end, but she still picked up 60 points to take over the lead from the injured Goggia in the downhill standings.

Gut-Behrami also extended her overall lead to 165 points ahead of the absent Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) and is currently in line for a remarkable four globes, but the rigours of a long season are starting to take their toll on the 32-year-old.

"I'm just happy that I'm still solid and doing consistent skiing — it's not easy," Gut-Behrami said. "The energy level is pretty low so I have to find something for (the super-G race) tomorrow."

Gut-Behrami might have expended a little more energy just watching the end of Saturday's race, as unheralded Bosnia and Herzegovina skier Elvedina Muzaferija (BIH) almost took her podium spot with bib No.28.

Muzaferija missed the podium by 0.11 seconds but came fourth for not only her first World Cup top 10 finish, but also the best World Cup result in Bosnia and Herzegovina's Alpine skiing history.

"I felt very comfortable and confident the last couple of weeks," said Muzaferija, who won the European Cup downhill in Crans Montana just last Sunday.

"I've always been quite good on this slope, I like it," the 24-year-old said. "Last year was not so love story — I finished in the nets — but this year it's fine."

Muzaferija, who hadn't finished higher than 14th in a World Cup race before Saturday, now has her sights set sky-high as she looks to the future.

"Everyone wants to win World Cups — that's the goal," she said.

Click here for full results from Saturday's race.