Two years after winning her last World Cup race, Ester Ledecka returns to the top of the podium in Saalbach. The Super-G Olympic champion is celebrating her fourth World Cup victory.
"It was an amazing run and I am very happy for my team. They really deserve it. They worked really hard the whole season. It’s really cool. I really enjoyed the run. It was a great day," Ledecka said.
Federica Brignone finished in second place. The "tigress" finished second in the fight for the Overall Crystal Globe, second in the Giant Slalom standings, and after today also second in Super-G.
"I skied well. But Lara had too much of a lead. Even with a win, it wouldn't have been enough. I'm happy because the easy slope and the direct course setting don't really suit me. That's very cool," Brignone said.
"Lara had an amazing season. What she did was really crazy and it was just so nice to fight with her," the Italian added.
Kasja Vickhoff Lie finished in third place. The Norwegian claimed three podium finishes in a single World Cup season for the first time. Both previous podiums this season came in Super-G events, two-second places in Val d'Isère and Altenmarkt-Zauchensee.
"Conditions-wise it’s actually quite nice. I am Norwegian, I love salted slopes so it’s fun," Lie said.
Lara Gut-Behrami finished in 7th place and clinched the Super-G Crystal Globe. Gut-Behrami joined the Club of Super-G stars with her fifth Crystal Globe (2014, 2016, 2021, 2023, and 2024). German Katja Seizinger (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1998) and American Lindsey Vonn (2009,2010, 2011, 2012, and 2015) are the other two women in this exclusive group.
On the Men side, Austrian Hermann Maier (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2004) and Norwegian Aksel Svindal (2006, 2009, 2012, 2013, and 2014) are also in the exclusive club of the winners of five Super-G Crystal Globes.
She is the first woman to win the Super-G title in successive seasons since Tina Weirather won in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018.
"The conditions were difficult for me. I usually struggle in such conditions. But given the direct course setting, I'm satisfied. It was one of my best races on soft snow. The result may not be special, but for me it was important," Gut-Behrami said.
In an SRF interview, Gut-Behrami also commented about her future.
"I’ll definitely be skiing for another year. It's unlikely that I'll ski for two more seasons. It's not easy to prepare for the Olympics. Because the Olympics always mean stress and pressure in the months before. I don't want that anymore (...) but Maybe I’ll change my mind in a year,” she added.
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