Goggia doubles up on Lake Louise victories

LAKE LOUISE, Alta. — Sofia Goggia won a second World Cup women’s downhill in as many days on Saturday, but in much different race conditions to her first.

The Italian’s margin of victory in a shaken snow globe of a day on the Lake Louise hill wasn’t as large as Friday’s win under a sunny sky, but was still decisive.

Goggia finished ahead of runner-up Breezy Johnson of the U.S. for a second day, but by just over eight-tenths of a second instead of almost a second and a half.

“Today was a completely different race and with the visibility, it was really flat, so it was not easy to read the terrain as it was yesterday for sure,” Goggia said. “I won the race because I made a smart and solid run.”

Reigning world downhill champion Corinne Suter of Switzerland finished third Saturday, almost a second back of Goggia.

Marie-Michele Gagnon of Lac-Etchemin, Que., vaulted into ninth after finishing 16th the previous day.

Today’s super-G caps the women’s race weekend at the Canadian resort in Banff National Park.

Goggia’s downhill win was her sixth in a row dating back to last season when she took the World Cup season title.

She joined nine other women who won both downhills in a single Lake Louise World Cup.

Only Lindsey Vonn of the U.S. and Germany’s Katja Seizinger added a super-G victory for the sweep.

“I could already see in the last season, my challenge was not regarding a downhill after a downhill, but it’s the super-G after the downhills,” Goggia said. “The challenge of my weekend is going to be [today].”

Goggia, 29, still proved her versatility winning in both clear, crisp conditions Friday and in a snow curtain Saturday.

Johnson also collected backto-back podiums in her first time racing in Lake Louise since 2017 because of injuries.

Gagnon, 32, has switched from the tech races of slalom and giant slalom to the speed disciplines of downhill and super-G in recent years.

The two-time Olympian crashed in a training run in Lake Louise in 2017 and lost a season to knee and shoulder injuries. After three top-10 downhill results last season, her fourth on Saturday left the Canadian feeling she’s making progress.

“I try to take advantage on days like this because I know I can do something,” Gagnon said.

“For my performance today, I’m just happy I did a solid, strong performance. I know there’s another gear.”