There were long breaks during the race in Cortina, and several delays meant that Ragnhild Mowinckel, among others, had to wait a long time for her turn down the downhill course.
But then she finally got to run downhill, and what a run she delivered.
The Norwegian girl raced into the lead with four tenths ahead of star Sofia Goggia.
– She didn’t understand anything, but she looks so calm and balanced. This is absolutely wild, said Viaplay commentator Henrik Jonassen.
Also read: Shiffrin team-mate with horror fall in Cortina – was picked up by helicopter
– A little shocked
Mowinckel himself was in the clouds after the victory.
– There has been a bit of chaos after the finish line, but “damn” nice then. This was incredibly delicious, so I’m just very happy right now, the winner tells Nettavisen.
– Were you as shocked as the TV pictures showed?
– I won’t hide that I was quite shocked, and of course incredibly pleased. I realized that I drove better than yesterday, but you never know how much better. No, I was pleasantly surprised by that.
The win was Mowinckel’s first downhill.
– This is the 13th year that I have done the speed disciplines, so this has been long awaited. It certainly wasn’t that easy, so it’s extremely nice that it works first.
National team manager Claus Ryste pays tribute to the star after what she showed:
– She was a bit shocked, because she hadn’t expected this. You will be as happy as for an extra large Christmas present. Very deserved, he tells NTB.
He believes Mowinckel deserves the victory for several different reasons.
– Ragnhild has struggled a bit this year. She came out crooked with fluoride on her skis and not too good results. Now, first of all, I am very happy for her.
Read also: The manager gets over 900,000. Now Northug believes that the union is intervening
With victory, Mowinckel is the second Norwegian winner in history on the women’s side in a downhill race, after Kajsa Vickhoff Lie won a World Cup race last year.
The Molde girl has three World Cup victories from the past, two in super-G and one in giant slalom.
Ugly fall
Earlier in the race, the American Isabella Wright also drove into the safety net, and was picked up by helicopter after a while.
The American team has now confirmed that everything is fine, and that she escaped with a few scrapes.
Teammate Jacqueline Wiles was second, followed by home favorite Sofia Goggia.
Norwegian Kajsa Vickhoff Lie finished in 8th place.