Goggia Claims Long‑Awaited World Cup Super‑G Win as Vonn Continues Remarkable Return

VAL D’ISÈRE, France — On the cusp of the holiday break in the 2025‑26 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season, Italy’s Sofia Goggia delivered a performance that underscored her enduring class in women’s alpine skiing. In Sunday’s super‑G at Val d’Isère, Goggia crossed the line first, securing a victory that her results this season had hinted at but had not yet produced. United States ski legend Lindsey Vonn finished third, marking her second consecutive podium in as many days and adding another chapter to a comeback season that has defied expectations.

The super‑G — a speed event that blends the outright pace of downhill with the technical demands of giant slalom — provided an early test of form before the Christmas hiatus. Goggia, a 33‑year‑old former Olympic downhill champion, navigated the demanding course with precision. With a time of 1 minute, 20.24 seconds, she managed to hold off New Zealand’s Alice Robinson by a mere 0.15 seconds, a margin that reflected the tight competition at the front of the field. Robinson, already a two‑time winner this season, signaled her growing consistency with a strong second place.

Goggia’s victory was her 27th on the World Cup circuit and her eighth in super‑G. She has been quick throughout the season, but until Val d’Isère she had not converted that speed into a win. Earlier in December, she had placed third twice in St. Moritz — both in downhill and in a super‑G that Robinson won — and on each occasion Vonn was right behind the leaders. Sunday’s result affirmed Goggia’s place among the elite in women’s speed events, particularly as the Olympic season gathers momentum.

Lindsey Vonn’s podium finish at Val d’Isère was more than a single result — it was part of a broader narrative of resilience and longevity. At 41, Vonn continues to defy conventional expectations of age in a sport where careers are often measured in years rather than decades. Her run down the course saw her reach speeds of up to 115 kph (71 mph), among the fastest of the day, though she did not find the optimal racing line to challenge for the win. Still, her time was enough for third place, marking her 142nd career World Cup podium. That total places her firmly among the most decorated athletes in alpine history.

Vonn’s performance in Val d’Isère followed an impressive third‑place finish in the downhill on Saturday, reinforcing an early season that has drawn both admiration and attention. Her competitive rhythm this year includes one victory — a downhill win at St. Moritz that made her the oldest Alpine skier to win a World Cup race — four additional podiums, and a fourth‑place finish. That consistency reflects her ability to compete at the highest level against a generation of skiers much younger than herself.

For Vonn, the run of strong results comes after she returned from a five‑year retirement with a goal of competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan‑Cortina. Her campaign through the World Cup circuit has been intense: five races in ten days, yielding a remarkable collection of top finishes in a condensed stretch of elite competition. Following the Val d’Isère weekend, she was scheduled to take a three‑week training and rest break before returning to competition on January 10 in Altenmarkt, Austria.

The presence of veterans like Vonn and Goggia on the podium highlights the depth and experience that continue to shape the women’s World Cup circuit. But the sport’s future is equally visible in contenders like Robinson, whose steady performances have placed her among the season’s leaders in the super‑G discipline. Her runner‑up result in Val d’Isère added valuable points to her ranking and reinforced her status as one of the discipline’s most promising athletes.

The Val d’Isère super‑G also came against challenging conditions, with high winds prompting a 10‑minute delay before the race got under way. Such factors test both technical skill and mental composure, and athletes often speak of adaptability as a defining trait of champions. In that sense, the podium finishers embodied the range of qualities the sport demands: Goggia’s aggressive precision, Robinson’s calculated consistency, and Vonn’s enduring competitive fire.

Looking ahead, the World Cup tour will resume after the holiday period with a mix of technical and speed events, offering racers opportunities to refine their form ahead of the Winter Games. For competitors targeting Olympic success, these early‑season races serve both as benchmarks and as preparations for the challenges that lie ahead on the sport’s biggest stage.