Super-G central as record-breaking women’s season ends in Soldeu

Sports fans may well be seeing the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals in Soldeu (13-19 March) as the ideal opportunity to salute the extraordinary exploits of Mikaela Shiffrin – with the superstar skier herself no doubt eying up more record-extending wins – but there is also still a major, season-long title to be won.

And the race to secure this crystal globe could not be tighter.

While Shiffrin has been utterly imperious in both the slalom and the giant slalom, and Italian Sofia Goggia has matched her dominance in the downhill, the super-G has been a thrillingly different story all season long.

In the seven races so far there have been seven different winners and, heading into Soldeu’s final showdown on 16 March, when there will be 100 points on offer to the winner, a mere 26 separate the top four in the standings.

And even then, Federica Brignone, winner of one of the only two women’s World Cup super-Gs held in Soldeu before, lies just a further 18 points behind in fifth.

In a neat twist, the skier currently leading the way is not among this season’s seven race winners. In fact, Elena Curtoni has finished on the super-G podium only twice but the Italian’s consistency gives her the edge over Olympic super-G champion Lara Gut-Behrami. Should Curtoni hold on, it would mark a popular first ever crystal globe title for the 32-year-old in her 13th World Cup season. Given how tight the battle is, she could well do it without winning the Soldeu race. No woman has ever won the super-G crystal globe without a World Cup victory in the discipline that season.

But they are lining up to prevent such an occurrence.

Racing in her 15th World Cup season, and with three super-G globes already from 18 race wins, Gut-Behrami is one of the all-time greatest women in the discipline. And despite not being at her very best this season, the Swiss skier is poised to strike and claim a fourth title in her favoured discipline.

Third-placed Conny Huetter, just six points behind Gut-Behrami, comes in with great momentum. Hot on the heels of taking World Championship super-G bronze – her first major medal – in February, Huetter triumphed in the opening super-G race in Kvitfjell earlier this month. Her performance not only ended the spectre of no Austrian woman topping a World Cup podium for the first time in a season ever, but also showed her rivals she is to be feared.

Norway’s ever-smiling veteran Ragnhild Mowinckel led the way going into that double-header in her home resort of Kvitfjell but after failing to break into the top 10 in either race, she now sits fourth, albeit still in with a great shout of securing her first season-ending title.