Olympic champion Sofia Goggia is dominating the World Cup downhill season like no woman since ski great Lindsey Vonn.
Goggia won her fourth straight downhill on Saturday to tie a World Cup streak last achieved by Vonn in 2018.
Click to Gallery
Olympic champion Sofia Goggia is dominating the World Cup downhill season like no woman since ski great Lindsey Vonn.
Goggia’s teammate Elena Curtoni was third, 0.60 back, ending Breezy Johnson’s streak of four third-place finishes in downhill.
Vonn won four straight World Cup downhills from January to March 2018 to complete that season. They were the last of Vonn’s 82 career World Cup victories, more than any other woman on the circuit that began in 1967.
She blew kisses to the camera and raised both arms in the air with just a little smile. Goggia's 11th career World Cup win was her eighth in downhill.
The double Olympic champion in Alpine skiing and snowboarding later skied down to the finish with her face bloodied.
Overall standings leader Petra Vlhova extended her points advantage in seventh place with low-ranked racers yet to start.
A super-G race is scheduled Sunday.
The Italian star finished 0.27 seconds faster than Lara Gut-Behrami as both thrived on icy snow slicker than in Friday’s race at Crans-Montana also won by Goggia.
Italy's Sofia Goggia speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Crans Montana, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021.(AP PhotoGabriele Facciotti)
Goggia’s teammate Elena Curtoni was third, 0.60 back, ending Breezy Johnson’s streak of four third-place finishes in downhill.
Johnson was fifth, 0.89 behind Goggia, giving the United States its most consistent threat in downhill since Vonn’s stellar career ended two years ago.
Vonn's best streak in World Cup downhill was six straight wins in 2009-10, according to the ski-db.com database. That matched her childhood idol Picabo Street’s run in 1995.
Italy's Sofia Goggia celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill in Crans Montana, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021.(AP PhotoMarco Tacca)
Vonn won four straight World Cup downhills from January to March 2018 to complete that season. They were the last of Vonn’s 82 career World Cup victories, more than any other woman on the circuit that began in 1967.
During Vonn’s winning run, Goggia was runner-up three times and also won the Pyeongchang Olympics downhill in South Korea where Vonn took bronze.
Goggia is one of the sport’s most flamboyant skiers and personalities though her reaction to an impressive run Saturday was quiet satisfaction in the finish area.
Czech Republic's Ester Ledecka arrives at the finish area after crashing during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill in Crans Montana, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021.(AP PhotoMarco Tacca)
She blew kisses to the camera and raised both arms in the air with just a little smile. Goggia's 11th career World Cup win was her eighth in downhill.
Runner-up to Goggia on Friday, Ester Ledecka was on course for a fast time when her run was ended by a nasty-looking crash that sent her spinning down the hill in the safety net.
Ledecka went fast and wide at a left-hand turn and was caught in the net lining the course. She was twisted around for about 20 meters (yards) before coming to a stop.
Switzerland's Lara Gut-Behrami speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Crans Montana, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021.(AP PhotoGabriele Facciotti)
The double Olympic champion in Alpine skiing and snowboarding later skied down to the finish with her face bloodied.
The race surface was faster than on Friday when bright sunshine bathed the south-facing Mont Lachaux slope. Cloud cover and minus-5 Celsius (23 Fahrenheit) temperature made conditions challenging, though the strong winds of one day earlier eased.
Johnson crossed the finish line and mimicked wiping her forehead with relief. She and Gut-Behrami both lost time by carrying too much speed into a sharp left-hand turn mid-run and overshot the ideal racing line.
Italy's Sofia Goggia celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill in Crans Montana, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021.(AP PhotoMarco Tacca)
Overall standings leader Petra Vlhova extended her points advantage in seventh place with low-ranked racers yet to start.
Michelle Gisin, who was in 10th place, is second in the overall standings and Goggia rose to third.
Three-time overall champion Mikaela Shiffrin is skipping speed races this season and is sixth in the standings.
United States' Breezy Johnson speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Crans Montana, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021.(AP PhotoGabriele Facciotti)
A super-G race is scheduled Sunday.
More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
United States' Breezy Johnson celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill in Crans Montana, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021.(AP PhotoMarco Tacca)