The Ticino triumphed in the first Super-G of the weekend in Norway, just ahead of an Austrian duo. With that, Gut-Behrami reaches for the small crystal ball.
Lara Gut-Behrami remains leader in the discipline rankings.
Ntb / REUTERS
(sda) Lara Gut-Behrami is getting closer to the World Cup crystal balls. The Ticino woman wins the first of two Super-Gs in Kvitfjell and takes another step towards winning the discipline ranking and the overall World Cup.
In less than ideal visibility conditions, Gut-Behrami was 12 and 13 hundredths faster than the Austrians Cornelia Hütter and Mirjam Puchner thanks to a strong middle and final section. The German Kira Weidle and the Czech Ester Ledecka shared fourth place.
Other Swiss women did not make it into the top 20. Delia Durrer, Jasmina Suter and Priska Nufer took places 21, 25 and 29, Michelle Gisin (33rd) missed the points.
In the absence of Mikaela Shiffrin, who is still sidelined, it was Gut-Behrami’s 8th victory and 14th podium finish in the 23rd race of the season. The scenario that the now 45-time World Cup winner ennobles her dream season with four crystal balls became even more realistic.
Gut-Behrami goes into the second-to-last Super-G of the winter on Sunday with a reserve of 25 points in the discipline rankings. In the overall World Cup, the 32-year-old increased her lead over Shiffrin, who will not return to Are until next weekend at the earliest, to 305 points. 41 points behind Shiffrin is Federica Brignone, who was 18 hundredths off the podium in 6th place on Saturday.