Nicol Delago earns Italy's ski team another win as home Olympics near. Lindsey Vonn 3rd in downhill

TARVISIO, Italy (AP) — The Italian ski team is on a roll with less than three weeks to go before a home Olympics. And so is 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn.

Nicol Delago claimed her first World Cup victory in a downhill on home snow Saturday, with Vonn in third place for her fifth podium in five downhills this season.

Delago matched Italian teammate Giovanni Franzoni, who claimed his first victory in a super-G in Wengen, Switzerland, on Friday.

“It certainly hasn’t always been easy over the years, so today is huge,” Delago said. “Yesterday I watched the video of Franzoni’s race and that provided extra motivation.”

The Milan Cortina Winter Games open on Feb. 6 with the women racing in Cortina d’Ampezzo and the men in Bormio.

Delago, who also led the final training session on Friday, finished 0.20 seconds ahead of Kira Weidle-Winkelmann of Germany and 0.26 ahead of Vonn.

Delago’s previous best finishes were three second-place results and two third-place results. Her younger sister, Nadia, won the bronze medal in downhill at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Nadia Delago was 10th Saturday.

“We motivate each other both on the positive days and the negative days,” Nicol Delago said of her sister.

It was the first World Cup downhill in Tarvisio in 15 years and Vonn was one of only two athletes in the current field who had raced it before. In her six previous races in Tarvisio across downhill, super-G and super-combined, Vonn earned two wins and four runner-up finishes.

“I don’t really remember the track,” Vonn said. “But I do remember that the atmosphere was amazing and the people were amazing. ... And I met some fans earlier and they were singing songs about me. It was awesome. So I’m so happy to be back on the podium again under tough conditions. So it couldn’t be better.”

In the downhill standings, Vonn increased her advantage to 144 points ahead of Emma Aicher of Germany. Four World Cup downhills remain this season.

In the overall standings, Vonn moved up to third place with 510 points, trailing only American teammate Mikaela Shiffrin (923 points) and Camille Rast (753) — neither of whom are currently racing downhill.

The race was characterized by fog hovering over the course midway down — limiting visibility.

Nicol Delago nearly lost control in the foggy section as her skis split apart. But she quickly recovered and then added to her advantage at every check point. At the finish, she celebrated with a big smile and kissed one of her skis, even though with the No. 3 bib most of the favorites were still to come down.

Vonn was fastest at both speed checks, registering 136.3 kph (84.7 mph) on top. But with such high speed she veered off course into fresh snow midway down — slowing her slightly.

The Olympic downhill in Cortina is scheduled for Feb. 8.

A super-G is scheduled for Tarvisio on Sunday.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

United States' Lindsey Vonn speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Italy's Nicol Delago right, winner of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, hugs her sister Italy's Nadia Delago as they pose for a photograph, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

United States' Lindsey Vonn celebrates taking third place in an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Italy's Nicol Delago celebrates after winning an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Italy's Nadia Delago celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Germany's Kira Weidle Winkelmann speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Italy's Nicol Delago right, hugs her sister Italy's Nadia Delago at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Germany's Kira Weidle Winkelmann celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

United States' Lindsey Vonn, center, smiles at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Italy's Nicol Delago speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

United States' Lindsey Vonn celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Italy's Nicol Delago celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

PARIS (AP) — Governments across the world scrambled to organize the return of their citizens from the Middle East on Wednesday as travel across the region remained heavily disrupted by the widening Iran war.

The first flight repatriating French citizens stranded in the Middle East landed in Paris early Wednesday as French authorities booked about 100 seats onboard for vulnerable people on a priority list, said Eleonore Caroit, the minister responsible for French Nationals Abroad.

Students also returned to Milan after being evacuated from Dubai by the Italian government. Valerio Schiavoi, a member of the World Students Connection program, said he was part of a group involved in United Nations diplomatic simulations in Dubai.

“We received the news that Iran had been bombed by USA and Israel,” he told Italian news agency LaPresse. “And as soon as we leave the room, we start to hear the sounds of military planes and so on. And the panic starts a bit. Through the window we could see missiles passing by and alarms kept sounding but we didn’t know what to do.”

With airspace closed or heavily restricted across much of the Gulf, passengers have been stranded not only in the region but also in cities far from the fighting after their connecting flights were canceled. Amid the travel chaos and with commercial flights limited, governments have been mounting emergency operations.

The French plane departed from Muscat, Oman and made a stop in Cairo, Egypt, before touching down at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Another flight carrying French citizens, who were based in Israel and managed to cross the border with Egypt, should arrive in France later Wednesday, Caroit said.

“We are focusing on a priority group — families with children, people affected by illness, old people,” Caroit told TF1 broadcaster. “Our goal is to help repatriate as quickly as possible the French people who wish to return.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said an estimated 400,000 French people are present in the region affected by the conflict, either as residents or temporarily passing through.

More than 20,000 of the more than 36,000 flights scheduled to fly to or from the Middle East between the start of the war and Wednesday have been canceled, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

The United States told its citizens to leave more than a dozen countries in the region right away using any available commercial transportation. The countries include Iran and Israel, as well as Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

In Britain, the government said a chartered flight will take off from Oman late Wednesday to bring back some of the thousands of U.K. nationals in the Gulf. It said the most vulnerable will be prioritized for the first of what is expected to be a series of flights.

The Foreign Office said more than 130,000 British nationals in the Middle East have registered their presence with the government since the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict broke out, though not all are trying to leave. Many of those are in the UAE, and the government has advised against trying to travel overland to Oman.

Commercial airlines are starting to resume some flights, with Etihad, Emirates and Virgin Atlantic all due to operate flights from the UAE to London on Wednesday.

But scores of travelers have struggled to find a way home. Li Qian, a 44-year-old tourist from Hangzhou, has been stuck in Abu Dhabi with her family after airspace closures disrupted their return flight to China. She said she received repeated missile alerts on her mobile phone and saw smoke rising near areas they had visited.

“It was frightening. ... We just want to get home as soon as possible,” she said, adding that she worried about her mother’s high blood pressure medication and her child’s return to school.

Agnes Chen Pun, a Hong Kong expatriate who moved with her family to Dubai last year, said she struggled to find plane tickets to leave the region. She moved first to a resort in Fujairah, then to a desert resort near Sharjah amid fears of potential attacks and local fires.

“We were so nervous, so anxious,” said Chen, a partner at Asia Bankers Club, a Hong Kong- and Dubai-based investment company.

She said she considered a 13-seat private jet costing $268,000 — but ultimately secured commercial tickets for around $2,200 per person to Singapore. Her departure is still uncertain. Despite the disruption, Chen said she plans to return to the UAE once the situation stabilizes.

“I think the scare, the fears, will be short-term,” she said.

Ireland’s foreign minister said Emirates airlines would operate a flight from Dubai to Dublin on Wednesday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee welcomed the development as the government tried to help some of its estimated 22,000 to 23,000 Irish citizens in the Middle East return home. The Irish government also plans to charter a flight for about 280 people from Oman in the coming days.

Elsewhere, Norway’s Foreign Ministry said it’s sending an “emergency team” to Dubai to reinforce the Norwegian embassy’s team helping an estimated 1,500 Norwegians registered in the city.

Associated Press writers from around the world contributed to this story.

A display in the arrivals terminal of the Henri Coanda International Airport shows cancelled flights originating in Middle East countries, in Otopeni, Romania, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Lindsay Elvidge and husband Ric, from Somerset, arrive at Terminal 4 of London Heathrow Airport on a flight from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Monday, March 2, 2026. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)

A man celebrates as he arrives at the International Airport in Frankfurt, Germany, after being evacuated from Dubai on a commercial flight, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

The flight from Abu Dhabi with passengers returned to Italy arrives at Fiumicino Airport, in Rome, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Valentina Stefanelli/LaPresse via AP)