CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Austrian skier Stephanie Venier held her nerve after Mikaela Shiffrin and a host of other skiers crashed to win a World Cup downhill Friday on the course that will be used for the Milan-Cortina Olympics in two years.
Venier finished 0.39 seconds ahead of Lara Gut-Behrami and 0.71 ahead of three skiers who tied for third: Valerie Grenier, of St. Isidore, Ont., Christina Ager and home favourite Sofia Goggia — creating a rare five-person podium.
It is Grenier's fourth career World Cup podium finish, but first in downhill. She had previously won two goals and bronze in giant slalom.
“I still can’t believe it,” said Grenier. ”I felt really good with my run today. The whole way down I was on the line I wanted but when I crossed the finish and saw third place I was shocked. There were no expectations coming into today and the team kept it pretty relaxed at the top as we were warming-up. It can help sometimes when you just relax and go ski.”
The last Canadian woman to reach the podium in downhill was Larisa Yurkiw, who finished second in Cortina in 2016.
Shiffrin crashed into the safety nets after losing control while landing a jump on the upper portion of the course. She was helped off the course with her left boot raised off the snow.
Starting after Shiffrin and fellow former overall champion Federica Brignone went down, as well as Olympic champion Corinne Suter, Venier was able to deal with the challenging terrain on the Olympia delle Tofane course.
It was Venier’s eighth career World Cup win.
Shiffrin’s arms were flailing as she landed in a patch of soft snow. The American, who has a record 95 World Cup wins, then slammed into the net at high speed and rebounded back onto the snow.
Medics tended to Shiffrin immediately and she eventually got up and limped away for more care.
Shiffrin’s team says she was “taken by ambulance to the clinic in Cortina and is being evaluated for a left leg injury.”
Brignone crashed shortly after the race resumed following a delay because of Shiffrin’s fall. But Brignone got right up and proceeded to ski down. She was unhurt.
Then Suter pulled up midway down her run with an apparent injury. Suter sat and clutched her left knee.
Michelle Gisin, a two-time Olympic champion, also crashed later on but appeared to avoid serious injury.
The race was held amid clear and sunny conditions but warm temperatures.
Shiffrin and Brignone are the fourth and fifth former overall World Cup champions to crash in the past two weeks following season-ending injuries to Alexis Pinturault, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and Petra Vlhova.
In all, 12 of 52 starters didn't finish the race.
Another downhill is scheduled for Cortina on Saturday, followed by a super-G on Sunday.
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Andrew Dampf, The Associated Press
