Malorie Blanc took the victory. © APA/KEYSTONE / ALESSANDRO DELLA VALLE

Olympic dress rehearsal goes to sensational woman

Swiss athlete Malorie Blanc sensationally celebrated her first World Cup victory at the last women's World Cup race before the Olympics.

31 January 2026

From: am/apa

Blanc surprisingly won Saturday's Super-G in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, ahead of Italian Sofia Goggia (+0,18 seconds). Third place went to American Breezy Johnson (+0,36). Blanc had only reached the World Cup podium once before, finishing second in the downhill in St. Anton in January 2025.

“I’m so glad I put on this show. It’s truly a gift to the people, for their support, and that means a lot to me,” Blanc said in an ORF interview. The race in front of her home crowd gave her a boost, the 22-year-old explained. “I love this track, I love the people here.”

Sofia Goggia finished in second place. © ANSA / ALESSANDRO DELLA VALLE

Italian Roberta Melesi achieved her best World Cup result, finishing fourth, but missed the podium by just six hundredths of a second. Nicol Delago from Val Gardena finished in 27th place, while her sister Nadia finished 32nd.

After the downhill race in Crans-Montana was cancelled on Friday due to weather conditions and several crashes (see own report), the sun shone brightly over the Valais mountains on Saturday morning.

Among those absent was Lindsey Vonn, who missed the day's competition due to her fall. There is still no confirmed information about her condition. The 41-year-old wrote on social media that she is still fighting to participate in the Cortina Olympics. (SportNews reported).