Italy’s Pirovano Edges Aicher in Thrilling Downhill

Pirovano wins 1st downhill, Aicher closes in on Vonn

Laura Pirovano wins 1st World Cup downhill, Emma Aicher finishes 2nd, closing gap to Lindsey Vonn in standings.

Lindsey Vonn, 41, remains leader of the downhill standings with 400 points, 14 points ahead of Aicher...

Laura Pirovano secured her first-ever World Cup downhill win, edging out Emma Aicher by a mere 0.01 seconds on home soil in Val di Fassa, Italy. Aicher, the Olympic silver medalist, was just a hair's breadth behind, while world and Olympic champion Breezy Johnson took third place, 0.28 seconds off the pace.

This win propels Pirovano to third overall, 64 points behind absent Lindsey Vonn, who's leading the downhill standings with 400 points. Aicher's second-place finish brings her to 386 points, closing the gap to Vonn to just 14 points with two races left.

LAURA PIROVANO WINS IN VAL DI FASSA! 🏆🇮🇹

First ever World Cup victory for Laura and it comes on home snow! 🤩❄️
An unforgettable day for the Italian speed star 🇮🇹

🥈 Emma Aicher 🇩🇪 (+0.01)
🥉 Breezy Johnson 🇺🇸 (+0.29)#FISAlpine #WorldCupValdiFassa pic.twitter.com/IXVXyZVKNF

— FIS Alpine (@fisalpine) March 6, 2026

Laura Pirovano, 28, grabbed her first World Cup podium finish in her 125th start, winning the downhill race in Val di Fassa with a razor-thin margin of 0.01 seconds over Emma Aicher.

Lindsey Vonn, 41, remains leader of the downhill standings with 400 points, 14 points ahead of Aicher, despite recovering from a broken leg at the Milano Cortina Olympics. Pirovano's win puts her third overall, 64 points behind Vonn.

The women's downhill event continues on Saturday, followed by the World Cup finals in Norway on March 21st. Meanwhile, American skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin, who's focusing on technical events, still leads the overall World Cup standings with a 139-point advantage over Emma Aicher. Aicher could potentially overtake Shiffrin this weekend.