SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM, Austria (AP) — When Austria last hosted the Alpine skiing world championships in 2013, it had to wait until the final day for the team's first individual gold medal. Marcel Hirscher saved the ski-mad nation’s honors in Schladming in the men’s slalom.
Austria's wait for gold at the ongoing worlds in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, though, is already over after the first individual race.
Cheered on by 14,500 spectators on Thursday, Stephanie Venier beat the pre-race favorites in the women's super-G which Lindsey Vonn didn't finish after hooking a gate.
“I race for myself in the first place, but I think one could say, ‘We are world champion.’ That sounds cool," Venier said about releasing the pressure for the home team.
Two days after a quarterfinal exit in the parallel team event, Venier sent Austrians into party mode.
“It’s just amazing in front of the home crowd," she said. "Nothing can beat this.”
She was the 2013 junior world champion in super-G but a silver in downhill from the 2017 worlds was her only medal in a senior race before Thursday’s triumph.
“I am a different Steffi now, grown up, more experienced,” said Venier, a three-time winner on the World Cup circuit who is a passionate golf player and is nicknamed ‘Aunt Gucci’ for collecting designer handbags.
“Every handbag tells the story of a certain part or happening in my life,” she said.
Austria entered its worlds with zero wins on the men’s World Cup this season, and two on the women’s side, both by Cornelia Huetter in speed races in December.
But the worlds on home snow are a different story, said Christian Scherer, CEO of the Austrian ski federation. More than 14,000 spectators gathered in the small Alpine village near Salzburg and even more are expected for the marquee downhill races this weekend.
“The world championships have their own rules and laws,” Scherer said. “This potentially will be a kind of breakthrough and we’re going to be more on the podium than during the season. So it’s taking the pressure off of it, definitely, which is important.”
Federica Brignone of Italy was 0.10 seconds behind Venier for the silver medal, and Lauren Macuga of the United States and Kajsa Vickhoff Lie of Norway shared bronzes, 0.24 off the lead.
Cassidy Gray of Invermere, B.C., was 20th.
Macuga continued her breakout season by medaling in her maiden start at a major event, after posting the fastest first-split time. Macuga won her first career World Cup last month in a super-G at another Austrian ski resort, St. Anton.
“I knew I could do it and I just had to go out and put everything out there,” Macuga said. “I mean, it's a medal or nothing.”
Vonn hooks gate and stops run
On a course set by U.S. ski team coach Alex Hoedlmoser, Vonn hooked a gate with her right arm about 25 seconds into her run and stopped her run.
“I am OK, I hit my nerve somehow and I hit the gate and lost feeling in my arm but it's coming back slowly,” Vonn said after her first appearance at the worlds in six years.
The American said a day before the race she was feeling sick with a cold or flu.
She skied down to the finish after the accident and waved to the crowd, then stayed out to join American teammate Macuga in the medal celebrations.
“I am really excited for Lauren, she skied amazing, I'm really proud of her,” said Vonn, an eight-time worlds medalist and the 2010 Olympic downhill champion.
Vonn retired in 2019 after winning bronze in downhill in Are, Sweden, following several injuries, but returned to the circuit this season with a new titanium right knee.
Mikaela Shiffrin is coming back from abdominal surgery in December and plans to start only the giant slalom and slalom next week.
The favorites flunk out
Silver medalist Brignone’s teammate and fellow pre-race gold favorite Sofia Goggia lost time on Venier at all splits except at the bottom and missed the podium by six-hundredths in fifth.
Lara Gut-Behrami, who leads the World Cup super-G standings this season, was slowed by a similar incident to Vonn's and finished 0.70 behind in eighth.
The worlds ended abruptly for Ricarda Haaser, who fell and tore the ACL and inner meniscus in her right knee. She was set to undergo surgery later Thursday, the Austrian ski federation said.
Thursday's opening individual race at the worlds took place exactly one year before the 2026 opening ceremony for the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
The next event is the men's super-G on Friday.
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The Associated Press
