As teh 2026 Winter olympics in Milan-cortina approach, elite alpine skiers are using World Cup competitions as critical preparation [[2]]. This week’s downhill race in crans-Montana, Switzerland, serves as a final tune-up for the Olympic downhill event scheduled for Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy [[1]]. While challenging weather has impacted training runs, top contenders are aiming to refine their form adn gain a competitive edge ahead of the Games.
Crans-Montana, Switzerland will host a shortened downhill run on Friday as a final test before the Olympic Games, with the race scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM local time (live on ORF1 starting at 9:45 AM). Wednesday’s initial training session was hampered by strong winds at the upper portion of the course, and snowfall on Thursday prevented a second timed run.
Austria’s Cornelia Hütter enters the competition as a strong contender for Olympic gold in Cortina d’Ampezzo, fresh off a victory in Val d’Isère. Mirjam Puchner is also looking strong for Austria, having achieved a season-best third-place finish in St. Moritz, while Nina Ortlieb recently placed fourth in Tarvisio and Ariane Rädler finished tenth in St. Moritz. Despite the recent snowfall, the course conditions remain firm, though snow removal efforts are still underway.
Lindsey Vonn, the current World Cup leader in the discipline, has consistently placed within the top four in all eight of her races this season in the speed events, and has landed on the podium in every downhill competition. Emma Aicher of Germany trails Vonn by 144 points in the standings, while her teammate Kira Weidle-Winkelmann sits in third, 168 points behind. Hütter is seventh, 221 points off the lead. A Super-G race is also scheduled for Saturday, beginning at 11:00 AM local time (live on ORF1 starting at 10:50 AM).
