Mowinckel wins wind-affected Cortina downhill ahead of US skier Wiles and Goggia

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CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Norwegian skier Ragnhild Mowinckel kept her focus to win a wind-affected World Cup downhill after a series of crashes and delays marked a race that also had some dramatic results for the U.S. Ski Team.

Racing on the course that will be used for the Milan-Cortina Olympics in two years, Mowinckel finished 0.35 seconds ahead of American racer Jacqueline Wiles and 0.44 ahead of home favorite Sofia Goggia.

It was Mowinckel’s fourth career World Cup victory and her first in downhill. Her last win was in a super-G in Cortina a year ago. Mowinckel also won silver medals in downhill and giant slalom at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics before missing the entire 2019-20 season because of a serious knee injury.

“I feel almost like I can’t handle the emotions that I’m feeling right now,” Mowinckel said.

Wiles earned her third career podium result and first since finishing third in the Cortina downhill six years ago — a race that was won by her idol and now good friend Lindsey Vonn. A week after that 2018 result, Wiles crashed in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, and missed nearly two full years with serious injuries to her left leg.

“I’ve always loved Cortina,” Wiles said. “It’s my absolute favorite track. It was where I scored my first World Cup points, I was on the podium with Lindsey and it just has a special place in my heart.

“It’s been an an insane six years,” Wiles added. “I tore pretty much every ligament in my knee, broke my leg and had nerve damage … and a couple more injuries after that. It’s always been a fight of trying to push it to get back to where I feel like I knew I could ski.”

Wiles received a message from Vonn after finishing 13th on Friday.

“I’m grateful that she’s still someone I can call a good friend,” Wiles said. “It’s cool to to still be in touch, and she’s still super supportive.”

Goggia also finished third Friday in the first of two downhills on the Olympia delle Tofane course.

The last six downhills have now been won by six different women: Kajsa Vickhoff Lie, Ilka Stuhec, Mikaela Shiffrin, Jasmine Flury, Goggia and Mowinckel.

Shiffrin is out of action for several days at least after crashing on Friday. Initial medical reports suggested that the holder of a record 95 World Cup wins avoided serious injury.

There were more crashes on Saturday, with Shiffrin’s and Wiles’ teammate Bella Wright sustaining some bruises and a cut on her chin after she went down.

Wright was airlifted off the course but later returned to the finish area with a bandage on her chin and in time to take part in the celebration for Wiles’ result.

“It hurt, but I knew right away my legs were OK,” Wright said. “They’re bruised and they’re definitely going to be more and more sore as time goes on. I was also spitting up blood and I wasn’t sure what that was from. And then they told me I have a laceration on my chin that I’ll get some stitches on later, and we’ll see how my head’s doing.”

Racing was suspended several times for long periods as organizers waited for the wind to die down.

Goggia, who said she felt strong headwind during her run, was leading before a break of more than 20 minutes, after which Mowinckel and Wiles competed in calmer conditions.

“For sure it’s a race today where wind and everything (played a role),” Mowinckel said. “But at the same time, I felt like I’ve been enough on the other side of this stuff that this card is coming back to me.”

Czech skier and snowboarder Ester Ledecka was the first racer on course and she pulled up shortly into her run after losing control just below where Shiffrin went out.

Kira Weidle and Joana Haehlen also fell, and Haehlen was carried away from the finish area with what was later determined to be a torn right ACL.

The race was eventually stopped with two skiers still to start after Ania Monica Caill of Romania went cartwheeling into the safety nets.

A super-G concludes the Cortina weekend on Sunday.

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