Sawt Falasteen - 'Instinctive' Goggia skis to victory in opening St Moritz super-G

The 31-year-old Italian's 23rd World Cup success saw her finish 0.95 seconds ahead of Austria's Cornelia Huetter, with home favourite Lara Gut-Behrami rounding out the podium (+1.02sec).

Goggia, who won Olympic downhill gold in 2018 and silver in 2022, rises to sixth in the overall standings currently led by American Mikaela Shiffrin, who finished fourth in the super-G.

"I'm a bit surprised," Goggia admitted after her victory from bib number seven in the season's speed opener for the women after seven technical races to open the campaign.

"Coming down with the first numbers in St Moritz is never easy and you don't have a lot of references. When I saw I was ahead with 95 hundredths, I said, 'I don't think it's going to last'."

Goggia, whose last super-G victory came in December 2021, produced a timely, aggressive descent in lightly falling snow and flat light to build on her three top-10 finishes in giant slalom in the North American swing of the circuit.

"The feelings that I had while I was coming down, I was really sometimes too long in every turn," Goggia said of her return to speed skiing on Friday.

"I think it was tricky, as is every super-G here in St Moritz, but I pushed it in the points in which I could create speed."

Goggia added: "Sometimes, not super every time. But instinct never lies."

Action in St Moritz continues with a downhill on Saturday and a second super-G on Sunday.

"Good race, good victory, let's focus on the downhill tomorrow," Goggia said.

P.AbuBaker--SF-PST