After more than 1,000 days without a win, Williams strikes in spectacular fashion!
Williams Ends Dry Spell, Höll Defeats Baumann
Jordan Williams ends a dry spell lasting more than three years in La Thuile, while Valentina Höll triumphs over teammate Lisa Baumann in a nail-biter decided by hundredths of a second. On the dusty and extremely challenging course, Kasper Hickman and Aletha Ostgaard also made a strong impression with victories in the junior categories.
The fifth round of the Downhill World Cup in La Thuile demanded everything from the riders on the dusty and technically extremely challenging course. The course, with 641 meters of elevation gain over 2.3 kilometers, became increasingly slippery and unpredictable as the day went on. Jordan Williams coped best with the difficult conditions. The Briton rode to victory in 3:25.767 minutes, ending a 1,107-day wait since his last World Cup win in Lenzerheide in 2023.
Williams had already won the qualifying round and took it up a notch in the final. Despite a violent slide in the last turn, he stayed on his bike and held on to a nine-tenths-of-a-second lead to the finish. Asa Vermette took second place, while Jackson Goldstone finished third, celebrating his best result of the season. Overall leader Amaury Pierron finished seventh despite being ill and defended his lead. After five races, the top four riders are separated by just 65 points. Specialized Gravity thus continued its winning streak, even though Finn Iles—after two consecutive victories—could not finish higher than 20th this time.
In the women’s race, Valentina Höll won an extremely close duel against her teammate Lisa Baumann. After a nearly flawless ride, the Swiss rider initially held a one-tenth-of-a-second lead over Sacha Earnest. Höll, who started last, beat Baumann’s time by two-tenths of a second. For the reigning world champion, it was the 15th World Cup victory of her career. At the same time, she extended her lead in the overall standings to 363 points. Baumann narrowly missed her first elite victory but confirmed her strong form with a second-place finish.
Sacha Earnest took third place after becoming the first rider of the weekend to finish in under four minutes. Several favorites were missing from the final. Tahnée Seagrave withdrew due to injury, while Anna Newkirk, Phoebe Gale, and Marine Cabirou were eliminated in the qualifying round.
There were also notable results in the junior categories. Kasper Hickman became the first Finn to win a junior race in the Downhill World Cup. He rode the fastest time in every section of the course and won by nearly three seconds over Malik Boatwright. Sacha Gabriel Brizin finished third. Overall leader Jonty Williamson had to settle for 17th place after suffering a flat tire, but remains in the lead. The Swiss juniors Raoul Schneeberger and Noé Forlin narrowly missed the podium, riding to fourth and fifth place.
In the junior women’s race, Aletha Ostgaard celebrated her second victory of the season. The American won in 3:59.6 minutes, four seconds ahead of Lina Frener. Cassandre Peizerat rounded out the podium. In the overall standings, Ostgaard now leads by 15 points over Frener. The next race of the Downhill World Cup will take place in Pal Arinsal, Andorra. Switzerland’s Gianna Nef finished a solid fifth.
Rissveds and Boichis Lead the Sprint
Adrien Boichis and Jenny Rissveds win the elite races at the first Short Track World Cup in La Thuile. On the steep, dusty course at 1,500 meters above sea level, both riders clinched victory with late attacks. Sina Frei, finishing second, further extends her lead in the overall standings.
La Thuile in the Aosta Valley proved to be a challenging venue for its Short Track World Cup debut. The compact, 714-meter-long course featured two steep climbs, technical descents, and loose, dusty sections. In the men’s elite race, Adrien Boichis prevailed after a close duel with Luca Martin. Initially, Martin and his Cannondale teammate Charlie Aldridge set the pace. On the penultimate lap, however, the two collided; Aldridge crashed, and Boichis seized the opportunity. With an attack on the final lap, he pulled away from Martin and celebrated his second Short Track World Cup victory of the season. Aldridge fought his way back to third place. Despite a crash, Mathis Azzaro defended his lead in the overall standings with an eighth-place finish.
In the women’s race, the outcome was also decided late in the race. Jenny Rissveds dominated the race from the start and broke away from the pack along with Sina Frei and Alessandra Keller. Later, Savilia Blunk also caught up to the leaders. On the penultimate lap, Rissveds and Frei picked up the pace and entered the final lap with a seven-second lead. Frei attacked on the steep climb, but Rissveds countered in a tight hairpin turn and held on to her slim lead all the way to the finish. Blunk took third place. With her second-place finish, Frei extended her lead in the overall standings to 170 points. Valentina Corvi and Paul Schehl won the U23 races.
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