Federica Brignone captures her 1st World Cup super-G win of season
Masters course shortened due to heavy overnight snowfall; Shiffrin sat out race
Federica Brignone won a World Cup super-G on Saturday for the 2020 overall champion's first victory this season in a race that Mikaela Shiffrin skipped in St. Anton, Austria.
Brignone mastered a course shortened because of heavy overnight snowfall to finish in 1:00.21, 0.54 seconds ahead of Joana Hählen, the 30-year-old Swiss who tied her career-best result of 1:00.75.
Olympic champion Lara Gut-Behrami was third in 1:00.87.
Sofia Goggia, the downhill standings leader, crashed out though skied down to the finish. Olympic bronze medallist Michelle Gisin also failed to finish her run.
Valérie Grenier of St. Isidore, Ont., was the top Canadian, clocking 1:02.25 for 23rd place among 37 finishers. Marie-Michèle Gagnon of Lac-Etchemin, Que., followed in 26th (1:02.62) while Stefanie Fleckenstein of Whistler B.C., did not finish her run.
The 25-year-old Fleckenstein, an independent athlete running her own program this season to try to work her way back on the national team, earned World Cup starts through her success on the Nor-Am circuit.
Shiffrin rested from racing this weekend after an intense two weeks of World Cup races that included a women's record-tying 82nd career win. The American star also has a dominating lead in the overall standings chasing a fifth overall title.
Brignone's 21st career World Cup win lifted her to fourth in the super-G discipline standings after just three races, including one won by Shiffrin last month at St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Another super-G is scheduled Sunday on the Karl Schranz course at St. Anton.
WATCH l Shiffrin ties historic women's World Cup wins record:
With files from CBC Sports
