The venerable 2,650-meter Olympia delle Tofane course inspires passion and captivates racers annually, even when they fall short of expectations. Last weekend in the historic Dolomites Olympic resort was no different.
Although Stifel U.S. Ski Team racers didn’t achieve the results they had hoped for in Cortina d’Ampezzo, it was an important and valuable final tune-up ahead of next year’s Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
Jackie Wiles posted the top U.S. result in the women’s downhill, finishing seventh, 0.99 seconds behind winner Sofia Goggia. Fresh off her maiden World Cup victory in St. Anton, Austria, Lauren Macuga was the top U.S. finisher in the super-G, taking 13th.
Lindsey Vonn continued her improbable comeback across four days on the familiar Italian slope. She finished 20th in the downhill and sustained two crashes – one in Thursday’s opening downhill training and the second abruptly ending her hopes in Sunday’s super-G. She walked away from both incidents, relatively unscathed.
Wiles Secures Top American Finish in Cortina
The 32-year-old Wiles from the Pacific Northwest, who was the first racer out of the gate, was pleased with her performance despite a few critical mistakes.
“I absolutely love this hill and had some confidence in training, but knew there was another level I could kick it up to,” Wiles said in the Cortina finish area after her downhill run. “I’m happy with the result – it’s been a slow start for me with downhill so far, so finally putting the training speed I’ve had into a race felt good.
“I’m really fast on the top and bottom, but the midsection super-G turns I just really got to link them up and get my timing down. If I can do that, I’ll be a lot faster,” she said.
Not surprisingly, the Olympia delle Tofane is a favored course of Wiles, who has attained two of her three career World Cup podiums in Cortina. Wiles sped to a runner-up finish last season, 0.35 seconds behind Norwegian Ragnhild Mowinckel.
Wiles remains confident on her favorite piste as she looks ahead to what could be her third Olympic Games next winter.
“There is still a lot that I can improve on and I don’t feel too far out. It was nice to see where I’m at, and it gives me confidence here for next year also,” she said.
Vonn Assesses Her Return to Cortina
The 40-year-old Vonn, in her fourth and fifth World Cup races since launching her comeback on a reconstructed titanium knee on Dec. 21, 2024, in St. Moritz, found numerous positives in her return to Cortina despite two crashes.
“In general, this weekend was really positive, but I couldn’t quite put it all together,” Vonn said after Sunday’s super-G fall. “It’s going to take a little time. I think last weekend went so well that everyone’s expectations were so high.”
Vonn exceeded expectations last weekend, finishing fourth and sixth in Austria.
“This is a journey that no one has taken before, so I’m trying to be patient. I need more training, I need more time. There is a lot of room for improvement, so the fact that I’m as fast as I am with as little preparation as I have is all really positive.
“I think it’s actually good that I didn’t do well this weekend because it leaves me hungry and hopefully for more next year,” Vonn said, perhaps alluding to competing at her fifth Olympic Games next February.
According to FIS, the well-traveled ski racer made her 400th career World Cup start on Sunday, racing a familiar piste where she has accumulated 12 victories over her two-decade-long career (six downhill, six super-G).
“It means that I’ve been here for a long time,” Vonn said with a laugh. “I think it just shows you how much I love skiing. Four hundred is a big number, but I’ve enjoyed every single start.”
Vonn is eight races short of Austrian Renate Goetschl’s World Cup starts record of 408.
Macuga All Smiles After St. Anton Breakthrough
One week after storming to her maiden World Cup victory in St. Anton, Austria, Macuga was unable to duplicate the magic in Cortina. However, the 22-year-old Park City racer skied well, scored points on both days, finishing 13th in the super-G and 16th in the downhill.
Macuga reflected on the journey to her recent success.
“These past few years, I’ve been figuring it out slowly, and everything has just been building and building – all through last year. Improving my confidence has been a huge factor,” Macuga said.
For Macuga, it was her third visit to races on the future Milan-Cortina Olympic slope. She described the keys to flourishing on the Italian Dolomites course.
“It’s huge to carry your speed coming off the pitches, but still you have to nail everything also,” Macuga said. “The snow is so insanely good, but you can’t be skidding or throwing your skis sideways because you’ll lose more time than if it was icy.
“It’s just so important to ski it clean and ski it right – it just flows well, which is so fun.”
Macuga envisioned what it might be like to charge down the Italian 1956 Olympic slope next winter with the eyes of the world watching.
“To compete here at the Olympics is a dream, and to do it here in Cortina would just be so amazing,” she said.
Wright: “You’ll see major send during the Olympics”
Isabella “Bella” Wright demonstrated her speed with top-10 times in both downhill training runs but didn’t execute as planned over consecutive race days.
Wright believes the Olympia delle Tofane will be the perfect piste for the ladies to pursue Olympic medals and glory. The 27-year-old from Salt Lake City will be striving to qualify for her second U.S. Olympic team.
“It’s so exciting to imagine it – this course is kind of like our Kitzbühel, so for the women to have the Olympics here on a course that everyone really enjoys, it’s just going to make the Olympics more entertaining and reliable too,” Wright said.
“I think you’re going to see some major send during the Olympics, and I think it will be very entertaining to watch,” she added.
Additional U.S. Finishers
Additional U.S. finishers in Saturday’s downhill included Breezy Johnson (22nd), Keely Cashman (28th), Allison Mollin (42nd), Tricia Mangan (44th), and Haley Cutler (45th).
Four U.S. women tallied points in Sunday’s super-G. Following Macuga’s leading result were Cashman (23rd), Mangan (24th), Johnson (25th), Wright (36th), Mary Bocock (39th), Wiles (43rd), and Mollin (45th).
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