Curtoni leads Italian sweep at downhill, Shiffrin 4th

Elena Curtoni led an Italian sweep of the podium at a women’s World Cup downhill on Saturday for her first career victory, while Mikaela Shiffrin placed fourth.

A late starter with bib No. 28, Curtoni benefited from improving visibility as the sun came out on the technically demanding Marc Girardelli course.

It helped her to beat Marta Bassino by 0.10 seconds and Federica Brignone by 0.14, respectively.

Italy's Elena Curtoni celebrates at the finish area during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Bansko, Bulgaria, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (AP PhotoMarco Tacca)

It was the second time in the 53-year-history of the World Cup that the Italian team took the top three spots in a women’s downhill.

The previous time was two years ago in Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria, when Sofia Goggia won ahead of Brignone and Nadia Fanchini.

Curtoni had been on a World Cup podium three times before, but not since coming runner-up in a super-G in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, in February 2017.

Italy's Marta Bassino competes during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Bansko, Bulgaria, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (AP PhotoGiovanni Auletta)

Her winning run Saturday bumped Shiffrin off the podium.

The three-time overall champion, who won a downhill on the same course Friday, finished 0.35 behind, with her American teammate Breezy Johnson 0.12 further back in fifth.

“I was pushing really hard,” Shiffrin said. “I felt like in some spots today the speed was a little bit higher. So I wasn’t taking like crazy risk but my skiing felt good.

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin reacts at the finish area during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Bansko, Bulgaria, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (AP PhotoMarco Tacca)

“I am really excited and really proud how I skied the last couple of days,” she added.

Shiffrin closed the gap to leader Corinne Suter in the season’s downhill standings to 16 points. The Swiss skier finished the race in ninth.

Shiffrin leads the overall standings and is 270 points clear of Brignone, with Petra Vlhova of Slovakia 335 behind in third.

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin competes during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Bansko, Bulgaria, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (AP PhotoGiovanni Auletta)

Joana Haehlen of Switzerland, who earned her first career podium in Friday’s race, skied out and slid into the safety netting but seemed unhurt.

The speed events in the Bulgarian resort will be concluded with a super-G race on Sunday.

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VADODARA, India (AP) — India captain Shubman Gill won the coin toss and opted to field first against New Zealand in the first one-day international cricket match on Sunday.

The Baroda Cricket Association is hosting its first-ever men’s ODI. Rajkot (Jan. 14) and Indore (Jan. 18) will host the second and third games of this three-match series.

Gill returned to the helm after missing the ODI series against South Africa in December.

India has opted for six bowlers – three pacers and two spin all-rounders along with wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also return to the international fold, after playing domestic List-A cricket.

Shreyas Iyer has recovered from a spleen injury sustained against Australia in October. He returns to the side after a two-month hiatus and will bat at number four.

Wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the series with an abdominal strain he sustained whilst playing for Delhi in domestic List-A cricket. Dhruv Jurel has been called up as his replacement.

For New Zealand, medium pacer Kristian Clarker makes his ODI debut, while 23-year-old wrist spinner Adithya Ashok is its lead spin bowler.

The Black Caps come into this series on the back of some good form – not losing a single ODI in 2025.

The pitch for the first-ever international game at the BCA Stadium should suit batters. It is a black soil pitch which could exhibit variable bounce through the day. Evening dew will aid the chasing side.

Line ups:

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay, Michael Bracewell (captain), Zakary Foulkes, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Adithya Ashok.

India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

New Zealand's captan Michael Bracewell gestures during practice session ahead of first One Day International cricket match against India in Vadodara, India, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

India's captain Shubman Gill during a practice session ahead of the first One Day International cricket match against New Zealand in Vadodara, India, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)