Sofia Goggia stuns with downhill win despite broken fingers | CBC Sports

Italian skier Sofia Goggia gave a thumbs-up with her right hand after dominating the fourth women’s World Cup downhill of the season on Saturday in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Her left hand she could barely move.

Goggia won the race in impressive style, leading runner-up Ilka Stuhec of Slovenia by 0.43 seconds, a day after breaking two fingers when she hit a gate but still finished second in a downhill on the same Corviglia course.

After Friday’s accident, the two-time Olympic downhill medallist went to Milan to have surgery. The Italian ski team said a metal rod and screws were placed inside her hand to stabilize it and her hand wrapped in a cast.

Still, Goggia returned to the Swiss resort for the second downhill.

With her left hand bandaged and the glove attached to her ski pole with yellow duct tape, Goggia was the ninth starter as she seemed not visibly hampered by the injury.

“When I understood today that I could make it, I think there was no girl who was (as) happy as I was today at the start gate. It was not guaranteed that I could be at the start today,” said Goggia, adding the Italian team even considered not putting her on the start list for Saturday’s race.

“I said: ‘Are you crazy? You crazy?’ I don’t give up this way,” Goggia said.

WATCH | Goggia breaks fingers during silver-medal run:

World Cup downhill leader Sofia Goggia breaks her fingers during silver medal run

The World Cup leader in women’s downhill, Sofia Goggia of Italy, won a silver medal in St. Moritz on Friday, but broke two fingers on her left hand, after hitting the third gate on the Corviglia course.

Racing under blue skies and sunshine — in contrast to Friday’s race in snowy and foggy conditions — Goggia charged down the 2.5-kilometer course in her usual gutsy style, not holding back in bumpy turns and jumping higher and further than her rivals.

Goggia finished 0.52 seconds ahead of then-leader Kira Weidle of Germany, and waved and blew kisses to the spectators.

Weidle was later bumped into third place by Stuhec, who earned her first podium in nearly four years. The Slovenian had won the 2017 world downhill title on this course.

Elena Curtoni, who won Friday’s race, finished 1.16 seconds behind in eighth.

Marie-Michèle Gagnon was the top Canadian finisher in 27th, while teammate Stefanie Fleckenstein was 47th.

Shiffrin almost lands on podium

Goggia’s third win of the season and 20th overall was briefly threatened by Mikaela Shiffrin.

Starting 21st, the overall World Cup leader was a few hundredths faster than Goggia in the first two sections, but Shiffrin took fewer risks than the Italian in the remainder of her run and finished 0.61 behind in fourth.

Shiffrin was followed by three Austrian racers: Cornelia Hutter, Nina Ortlieb and Mirjam Puchner.

Shiffrin leads the overall standings with 475 points, 50 clear of Goggia and 109 ahead of Wendy Holdener. The Swiss skier finished 32nd and failed to score World Cup points.

Shiffrin improved two positions from Friday’s result, when she finished one spot behind American teammate Breezy Johnson. On Saturday, Johnson came almost two seconds behind Goggia and finished outside the top 20.