Nicol Delago secured her first World Cup victory. © APA/afp / MARCO BERTORELLO

Sensational! Nicol Delago celebrates his first World Cup victory

At the finish line, she threw her arms up in triumph. She knew: This time was phenomenal. In the end, it was even enough for her first World Cup victory. Nicol Delago from Val Gardena caused a sensation in the downhill race in Tarvisio, Friuli, on Saturday.

17 January 2026

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It was a sensation, one that had almost been anticipated. Delago had already caused a stir with the fastest time in training on Friday. On Saturday, the 30-year-old from Val Gardena finally followed it up with another impressive performance.

Starting with bib number 3, Delago delivered a superb performance, nailing a tight line and taking the lead. Her time of 1:16.28 minutes ultimately proved unbeatable. Germany's Kira Weidle-Winkelmann came closest (+0,20 seconds), while American Lindsey Vonn finished third (+0,26).

The sixth podium finish is the first victory

For Nicol Delago, this was her first World Cup victory after five podium finishes. She first reached the podium in 2018, finishing second in the downhill in Val Gardena; further second-place finishes followed in 2019 (in the Super-G in Lake Louise) and 2020 (in the downhill in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee). In January 2024, she took third place in the downhill in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, and a few months later, she also finished third in the downhill in Saalbach. Incidentally, the last World Cup victory for a South Tyrolean skier dates back to January 26, 2008: Denise Karbon was victorious in Ofterschwang, Germany.

Nadia Delago impressed with a tenth-place finish. © APA/afp / MARCO BERTORELLO

Nicol Delago's sister Nadia impressed in Tarvisio, finishing tenth. For the 28-year-old, it was her first top-10 finish since fifth place in the Garmisch downhill in January 2022. On Saturday, the younger Delago sister even outperformed Sofia Goggia, who finished eleventh. Sara Thaler from Ortisei, however, missed out on points.