Gold for Brignone

LIVE: Miradoli overtakes Rädler, Hütter third

Federica Brignone (left) was crowned Olympic champion, while Conny Hütter (right) raced to bronze.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Cornelia Hütter bids farewell to her last Olympic Games with a medal! The Styrian raced to bronze in the super-G in Cortina. Italian Federica Brignone, who had celebrated her comeback just a few weeks ago, wrote a golden fairy tale, crowning herself Olympic champion for the first time on Thursday.

Silver went to France's Romane Miradoli. Ariane Rädler, meanwhile, was just one hundredth of a second away from her second medal at these Games. The two other ÖSV skiers, Mirjam Puchner and Nina Ortlieb, failed to finish.

The result:

"Apparently, I need a little pressure in my life. At my last Olympic Games, I knew that if I didn't give it my all today, I would lose. I fought hard, made a few mistakes and certainly didn't ski cleanly everywhere, but it doesn't matter," Hütter beamed at the finish line. "It was very turbulent to finish fourth in the downhill. I knew that today it was all up to me. When I stood at the start, I knew that I was seeing the rings in the start house for the last time." The 33-year-old can now take home her first Olympic medal as a souvenir.

Conny Hütter on her way to precious metal(Bild: Sepp Pail)

"In the end, it doesn't matter."
"It's great because she's been chasing this Olympic medal for a long time," said women's head coach Roland Assinger, delighted with his protégé – especially as Hütter had to cope with a number of setbacks in recent weeks and months, as well as a fourth place in the downhill. "You could see that it wasn't the free skiing she has already shown. There was a bit of tension, even today. But in the end, it doesn't matter – bronze is bronze," said Assinger.

Ariane Rädler narrowly missed out on the bronze medal.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Frustration for Rädler
Rädler's disappointment was evident in her interview with ORF. "It really hurts a little, but the gold definitely makes it easier. I'm so happy for Conny. I don't know what to do with my feelings. On the one hand, I have the gold, but on the other hand, I missed out on another medal," said Rädler, summing up her triumph in the team combined with mixed feelings. 

Federica Brignone was crowned Olympic champion for the first time.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

"Just crazy"
Brignone celebrated a comeback for the history books. "It's unbelievable! I never thought I would win today. Today it wasn't about being perfect, but about always being one step ahead. I just tried to do my best and wasn't afraid to make mistakes. I did what I could in the few races since my comeback. It's just crazy that it worked out," said the Italian.

Brignone suffered a serious injury at the Italian Championships in early April and only returned to the World Cup in January. After her gold medal run at the World Ski Championships in Saalbach, the 35-year-old can now celebrate the next milestone as the oldest Olympic champion in alpine skiing history.