Success in the downhill

Only Suter faster! Ortlieb on the podium in Soldeu

Nina Ortlieb(Bild: AP/Marco Trovati)

Nina Ortlieb raced to the podium in the women's downhill in Soldeu. The Vorarlberg native was only beaten by Switzerland's Corinne Suter on Friday, with Italy's Sofia Goggia completing the podium.

Nina Ortlieb narrowly missed out on her first downhill victory in the Alpine Ski World Cup on Friday in Soldeu (Andorra). The Vorarlberg native was beaten by just eleven hundredths of a second by Switzerland's Corinne Suter in the first race after the Olympic Games in Italy. While the Beijing Olympic champion celebrated her sixth World Cup victory, Ortlieb made a comeback with a podium finish after two failures in Cortina. Third place went to Italy's Sofia Goggia (+0.24 seconds).

The result:

For Ortlieb, it was her first downhill podium since December 2022 and her comeback after breaking her lower leg in January 2025. "The podium is a huge confirmation for me that this path was worth it. It's a relief and shows that I was patient and that everyone around me supported me," said the 29-year-old with satisfaction. The day before, the 2023 downhill vice world champion had set a superior best time in training. Ortlieb emphasized that she had been "extremely nervous" before the race, but was ultimately relieved to have delivered a "top performance."

Nina Ortlieb(Bild: GEPA)

She lost her third World Cup victory after two Super-G successes in the upper section of the course. "Unfortunately, the start is a weak point for me, I was already 18 hundredths behind. You don't need to do the math to figure that out. The victory would have been possible," analyzed Ortlieb, who had already finished fourth in Tarvisio in mid-January. The Olympics, on the other hand, had been a difficult week for her. "I'm particularly pleased that I was able to turn that around within a week." She received special praise from her teammate Cornelia Hütter: "It's not for nothing that she's called Ninja. It suits her."

Hütter in sixth place
The Styrian, who had recently been confined to bed due to illness, finished sixth (+0.62) after a small mistake in the finish, one hundredth behind US Olympic champion Breezy Johnson. "I skied really well in parts. In the last section, my thighs just couldn't keep up," said the Super-G bronze medalist. Mirjam Puchner finished 13th (+1.53) after a heavy fall in Super-G training last Sunday. Right behind her, Olympic team combined champion Ariane Rädler (+1.67) crossed the finish line somewhat perplexed in sunny, spring-like temperatures and on a perfectly groomed slope. "I'm a little disappointed because I wanted more," said the Vorarlberg native.

Cornelia Hütter(Bild: GEPA)

The battle for the downhill crystal globe is coming to a head with three races remaining after Lindsey Vonn's season ended due to injury. The American continues to lead with 400 points, followed by Germany's Emma Aicher (306), who finished fourth in Soldeu. Kira Weidle-Winkelmann (256), Goggia (240), Laura Pirovano (236), Johnson (223), Hütter (219), and Ortlieb (212) also still have a chance.

Suter returns after injury
Suter, on the other hand, only entered the Olympic season in January because the 31-year-old suffered a torn muscle fiber in her left lower leg, a bruised left knee joint, and a fracture in her right rear foot during training at the beginning of December. "It took me some time to regain my full confidence in the downhill. Today was a very big step," said the 2021 downhill world champion, who last won a World Cup race in December 2022.

Nina Ortlieb, Corinne Suter, and Sofia Goggia (from left to right)(Bild: GEPA)

At the Speed Triple in Andorra, where the canceled Super-G in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee will be made up, two Super-G races are still on the program for Saturday and Sunday (10:15 a.m. each day). Giant slalom specialist Julia Scheib will also compete in these races, as her favorite discipline will not be up for World Cup points again until March 14. Next week, there will be two downhill races and a super-G in Val di Fassa, with the downhill season finale taking place on March 21 in Lillehammer.