Swiss skier Suter wins 1st race since Olympics as chase starts for Vonn's World Cup downhill lead

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Switzerland's Corinne Suter speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Soldeu, Andorra, Friday, February. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Switzerland's Corinne Suter arrives at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Soldeu, Andorra, Friday, February. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati) — Switzerland's Corinne Suter speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Soldeu, Andorra, Friday, February. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

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5:52 AM on Friday, February 27

The Associated Press

SOLDEU, Andorra (AP) — Former Olympic and world downhill champion Corinne Suter won the first World Cup race since the Milan Cortina Games as the chase began Friday for Lindsey Vonn’s lead in the discipline standings.

Vonn badly injured her left leg in a frightening crash in the Olympic downhill and won't be able to add points to her seasonal tally, but the American standout still leads the way with 400 points after two wins and three more podium results.

Runner-up Emma Aicher finished fourth in Friday’s race and reduced the gap on Vonn to 94 points with three races left.

Aicher’s German teammate Kira Weidle-Winkelmann ranks third, 144 points behind Vonn, and 2018 Olympic champion Sofia Goggia trails by 160 in fourth.

A race win is worth 100 points.

Suter has no realistic chance of winning the downhill globe despite the Swiss racer’s victory Friday, the sixth World Cup win of her career, but first in downhill since a race in Germany in January 2022.

She took the world championship in 2021 and added the Olympic title the following year, but has had to deal with various injuries since, including a concussion sustained in January 2023 and a knee injury a year later.

Suter missed the first two downhills of this campaign after a pre-season training crash. She had a near-perfect run in spring-like conditions in Soldeu to beat Nina Ortlieb of Austria by 0.11 seconds.

Goggia was 0.24 behind in third.

“It took a bit longer than I thought (to win again), but I needed some time in downhill to regain my full confidence. Today is a big step,” Suter said.

Breezy Johnson, who holds the Olympic and world downhill titles, was 0.61 behind in fifth.

Double Olympic champion Federica Brignone, who returned from a broken left leg just before the Milan Cortina Games and then won gold in super-G and giant slalom, took part in a training session Wednesday but skipped training the following day and decided to sit out the race.

The Italian, who is the defending overall World Cup champion, is still considering a start in the two super-G events on the same hill this weekend.

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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing