Corinne Suter’s consistent year in downhill racing finally earned her a first World Cup win on Saturday.
Suter defied poor visibility in a race twice delayed to finish 0.29 seconds ahead of Nicol Delago.
Suter’s Swiss teammate Michelle Gisin was third, 0.98 back, two weeks after also placing third in a World Cup slalom.
Switzerland's Corinne Suter competes during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (AP PhotoMarco Trovati)
Olympic downhill champion Sofia Goggia was fourth, 1.01 back, starting immediately after the second delay for fog.
Mikaela Shiffrin, the overall World Cup standings leader, skipped Saturday’s race. She could start in an Alpine combined event Sunday when Gisin, the Olympic champion, will also be favored.
Suter’s first top-tier race victory was predicted after being among the most reliable downhill racers over the last year.
Italy's Nicol Delago reacts as she crosses the finish line of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (AP PhotoGiovanni Auletta)
She won a silver medal at the world championships last February, when Lindsey Vonn took bronze in her career farewell, then finished the World Cup season with two third-place finishes.
The 25-year-old Suter was second and fifth in the two previous downhills this season, both held at Lake Louise, Canada.
Attacking on an overcast day, Suter mastered the Altenmarkt course despite clocking only the seventh-best speed of 125 kph (78 mph) at the fastest check.
Switzerland's Michelle Gisin reacts as she crosses the finish line of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (AP PhotoGiovanni Auletta)
Suter now leads the season-long downhill standings from Ester Ledecka. The double Olympic champion in Alpine super-G and snowboarding placed eighth Saturday.
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Italy's Francesca Marsaglia competes during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (AP PhotoMarco Trovati)