Downhill, Women

The women’s downhill was the fourth female Alpine skiing race held in PyeongChang, and it was contested on the same slope as the Super G four days earlier and the same slope as the men’s speed races. The seasonal downhill World Cup was led by Sofia Goggia, followed by Lindsey Vonn and Tina Weirather. The reigning World Champion and downhill Crystal Globe winner from 2016/17, Ilka Štuhec, did not compete due to a torn ACL in her left knee in October 2017. Also not present in South Korea was the downhill 2013/14 World Cup winner, Maria Höfl-Riesch, as well as the two shared gold medalists from Sochi, Tina Maze, downhill World champion in 2015, and Dominique Gisin, as all three had already retired, with only the bronze medalist from Sochi, Lara Gut, competing in PyeongChang. The podium of the pre-Olympic downhill race held on this slope in March 2017 was topped by Goggia, Vonn, and Štuhec. With the absence of Štuhec, Goggia and Vonn were considered the big favorites. Vonn set the best time in the first training run, while Venier did so in the second and Michelle Gisin, younger sister of Dominique, in the third.

The starting order for speed events was changed since the last Olympics. The top 10 racers of the World Cup Starting List (WCSL), beginning with the leader, could choose an odd bib number from 1-19, while the next ten racers from the WCSL could choose an even bib number from 2-20. On race day the weather was still cold (-9° C.), but the conditions were otherwise perfect and the favorites delivered. Going down with bib #5 Goggia took the lead 0.63 seconds ahead of Weirather and when Vonn placed second 0.47 seconds behind Goggia, the race looked decided. Ragnhild Mowinckel with bib #19, however, blew up the top two to place second only 9/100ths of a second behind the leader.

Goggia won the race with an average speed of 100.69 km/h and 2.51 metres ahead of Mowinckel to become the first ever female Olympic downhill champion for Italy and the second overall for her country, following Zeno Colò, who won the 1952 downhill. Mowinckel, the only Norwegian skier competing in this race, became the first ever female downhill medalist for Norway. Goggia won the race on Atomic, as they won both female speed events at these Games, while places 2-6 all used Head skis.