Corinne Suter Wins the Alpine Ski World Cup Downhill in Soldeu, Andorra

Soldeu 2026 Alpine Ski World Cup Downhill Podium. Picture: AGENCE ZOOM

Corinne Suter won the first Alpine Ski World Cup Downhill event after the Milano-Cortina Winter Games, held in Soldeu, Andorra. This victory marks Suter's first win and podium finish of the season, highlighting her successful return to the top of women’s Alpine Downhill skiing. The 31-year-old achieved today her first World Cup victory since December 2022, when she won the Super-G in Lake Louise. Notably, her last Downhill victory was nearly four years ago in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

After suffering multiple leg injuries in a training accident in December, Suter made her season World Cup debut in January in Zauchensee, but finished outside the Top 10 in her first four races. In the Milano-Cortina Winter Games, she placed 11th in the Super-G and 14th in the Downhill events.

This win represents not only the first Swiss victory in the Downhill this season but also their first podium finish overall. Suter claimed her sixth victory and 27th podium finish in the World Cup.

"It was not so easy with my injury at the start of the season. Today is a special day for me, absolutely wonderful. Almost more important for me was knowing that I can still do it. I felt much more confident today. It was a huge step," Suter said.

Nina Ortlieb finished in second place, just 0.11 seconds behind Suter, while Sofia Goggia took third place, finishing 0.24 seconds off Suter's time, claiming her 39th Downhill podium today in Soldeu.

The 29-year-old Austrian skier claimed her third Downhill World Cup podium finish, her first since Lake Louise in December 2022.

"Overall, I had a good run, and I showed a lot of commitment. I was a bit too low at the top, which is where I lost time. But I’m satisfied. I knew the course suited me,” said Ortlieb.

"I'm really happy with my performance; it was really solid. I knew that Corinne and Nina were really, really fast on the top part, which was flat, and I had to contain my gap and recover something in the technical part. I did it, but it wasn't enough," Goggia said.

The battle for the Downhill crystal Globe is now wide open following the injury of American skier Lindsey Vonn, who currently leads the standings with 400 points. With three Downhill races remaining, Emma Aicher, who finished fourth today, has reduced the gap to 96 points behind Vonn. Her teammate, Kira Weidle-Winkelmann, is in third place with 258 points, while Italian skier Sofia Goggia follows closely in fourth with 240 points.