Shiffrin claims 91st World Cup win, Wright notches a top 15

Mikaela Shiffrin stood atop her 100th podium in international competition, and this time was in a downhill in St. Morits on Saturday. Snowbird Ski Resorts Bella Wright snuck in a top 15. Photo: courtesy of U.S. Ski & Snowboard

SWITZERLAND — On Saturday’s women’s downhill in St. Moritz, Stifel U.S. Ski Team member and winningest skier of all time Mikaela Shiffrin notched her fourth downhill victory, 91st World Cup win and 142nd World Cup podium. Stifel U.S. Ski Team member Bella Wright from the Snowbird Sports Education Foundation Team of the Salt Lake City area also started her downhill season strong with a 12th-place finish.

The day started out sunny with a solid snow surface for the competitors. Shiffrin ran bib three and immediately took the top spot, skiing an aggressive and clean line to nail the pitch and rollers. The fiercest downhill competitor, Sofia Goggia of Italy, came just a few skiers later, also skiing a gutsy line. She came in just 0.15 behind Shiffrin, giving Shiffrin the clear lead and eventual win. Goggia ultimately took second place with Italian teammate Federica Brignone in third. 

“Today was amazing,” said Shiffrin. “I felt so good with my plan and my skiing. The biggest challenge for me was to trust that if I don’t ski the perfect line I can still dive into the turn with confidence.” 

Wright ran just after Shiffrin with bib four. She also took an aggressive approach, executing the pitch perfectly and punching it to the line with a competitive time, ending the day in 12th place. 

“Today was a big stepping stone for me,” said Wright. “I’ve been having some interesting training days, and I’ve been trying to lay down an aggressive run, so I was happy to make it to the finish with a smile on my face.”

The race was ultimately called off due to the extremely poor visibility making it unsafe to continue. However, the race is still considered a valid race.

Park City’s Lauren Macuga was slated to compete, however, did not run due to the midway cancelation.