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

By Canadian Press on January 31, 2026.

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Swiss skier Malorie Blanc won 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 event in Crans-Montana, toned down after the fatal fire in a bar, a fitting winner with Blanc being from nearby Ayent, which is a 20-minute drive away.

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

Blanc edged out 2018 Olympic downhill champion Sofia Goggia by 0.18 seconds, with Vonn’s teammate Breezy Johnson coming 0.36 behind in third.

It was Johnson’s first career podium in super-G, adding to the American’s eight top-three results in downhill. The American won the world downhill title last year but is yet to win a World Cup.

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.

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.

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, with Vonn dropping to third and trailing the Italian by 90 points.

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

The Associated Press

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