Swiss skier Blanc gives Crans-Montana event home winner with Vonn sitting out day after crash

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Moving her arms like a conductor, Swiss skier Malorie Blanc stood in the leader's box and enjoyed the singing and waving of flags by her home crowd in the stands.

Blanc gave Crans-Montana something to cheer about, a month after the fatal fire in a bar, by winning the last women’s World Cup race before the Milan Cortina Olympics on Saturday, with Lindsey Vonn sitting out the super-G a day after hurting her left knee in a downhill crash.

The result gave the toned-down event in the Valais canton (state) a fitting winner with Blanc being from nearby Ayent, which is just a 20-minute drive away from Crans-Montana.

“I am so happy that I could deliver this show, it’s really a gift for the people and and their support,” said the 22-year-old Blanc, the junior world super-G champion in 2024 who was second in a downhill in Austria a year ago for her only previous World Cup podium.

Blanc edged out 2018 Olympic downhill champion Sofia Goggia by 0.18 seconds, with Breezy Johnson coming 0.36 behind in third for Vonn’s teammate's first career super-G podium.

Hosting the last pre-Olympic races in the wake of the New Year's Day tragedy that killed 40 people and injured 116, Crans-Montana stayed clear of the usual festivities at ski venues, like public bib draws and concerts.

The finish area was stripped of its usual vibrant color and advertising, which were replaced by white and black signs of mourning that read “Our thoughts are with you” in multiple languages.

“I wasn't sure if it would put me under pressure, but I tried to see it as positive pressure,” Blanc said about skiing at her home race under the circumstances.

“I tried to focus on my skiing, I heard the people at the start, that pushed me, and I am really happy that I have done it."

Runner-up Goggia, wearing a black armband like the whole Italian team did, also acknowledged it was “not easy” for her to race in the Swiss resort.

“The thought of that drama has accompanied me throughout this month, knowing that I have to compete in this very location,” Goggia said.

This week, the Italian team visited the scene of the fire and laid a bouquet of flowers at the steps of the bar.

“As for my race, I have to say that I am satisfied,” Goggia said. "January has never been an easy month for me, and ending it with a podium is the best way to present myself at the Olympics.”

Satisfied was also how Johnson felt after adding her maiden super-G podium to eight top-three results in downhill. The American won the world downhill title last year but is yet to win a World Cup.

“I have been working on it for a really long time. I respect super-G, I think it’s the hardest event. I always wanted to be good at it,” Johnson said.

A late starter with bib 29, Johnson bumped Roberta Melesi off the podium after the heralded Italian initially led the race and hoped for her first career top-three result, having had just one top 10 in more than eight seasons on the World Cup circuit.

Friday’s downhill was called off after Vonn became the third out of the first six starters to crash and visibility worsened in increasing snowfall.

One of the other skiers who crashed, Marte Monsen of Norway, wrote on Instagram she suffered a concussion after hitting the nets just before the finish area.

Weather vastly improved overnight though and Saturday’s super-G took place in sunshine and under blue skies, making for a smoother snow surface on the Mont Lachaux course after numerous bumps in flat lights made the downhill tricky.

Starting 20th after most pre-race favorites, Laura Pirovano led by a massive 0.58 seconds at the final check point but the Italian missed the penultimate gate in the twisty bottom section approaching the finish.

Teammate Federica Brignone made her comeback in a speed race and finished 1.28 off the lead in 18th, after the overall World Cup champion placed sixth in a giant slalom nearly two weeks ago, which was her first event back from injury.

Emma Aicher, the winner of the previous super-G in Italy two weeks ago, fell and slid off the course after posting the fastest first-split time, but the the German skied down to the finish area and seemed to have avoided injury.

French skier Laura Gauche had a nasty crash after crossing the finish and got stuck under an inflatable safety barrier, but she seemed unhurt.

The race was only the fourth super-G of the season, after a race in Austria was canceled three weeks ago and rescheduled for Andorra shortly after the Olympics.

With Vonn not racing, Goggia extended her lead in the season standings to 60 points over Alice Robinson of New Zealand, who placed sixth on Saturday.

Vonn dropped to third and trailed the Italian by 90 points with four races remaining.

A men's downhill on Sunday on an adjoining slope that shares the same finish area is the final World Cup event before the Olympics.

___

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