2024 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's super-G explained

The women's super-G in the 2023 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup consisted of nine events, including the final.^[1] One super-G on 10 December in St. Moritz was canceled, but it was rescheduled as a second super-G in Zauchensee on 12 January.^[2] As discussed in the season summary below, three more cancellations took place during February, reducing the season to eight races, but one downhill was then converted to a super-G to produce the final total of nine.

Season summary

The first event in this discipline, which did not take place until 8 December 2023 in St. Moritz, Switzerland, was easily won by three-time defending downhill champion Sofia Goggia, who triumphed by almost a second over the field.^[3] The follow-up race on the same slope was canceled due to continuing heavy snowfall.^[4]

In the next event, 2022 discipline champion Federica Brignone of Italy notched her third victory of the season in a race that only 32 of the 57 starters were actually able to complete, a result that kept Goggia in first place for the season.^[5] However, the two races after that, both in the Austrian resort of Altenmarkt-Zauchensee in mid-January, were won first by Cornelia Hütter of Austria^[6] and then by four-time (2014, '16, '21, '23) discipline champion Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland (her 20th career win in the discipline, placing her second all-time among women), with Hütter second, moving Hütter and Gut-Behrami into the top two positions in the discipline for the season.^[7]

Two weeks later in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Gut-Behrami won her second straight super-G (her sixth win at Cortina -- and her 41st victory overall), and, when Hütter failed to finish, Gut-Behrami grabbed the season lead in the discipline by just 10 points, but with Brignone and Goggia also still within 85 points of the lead.^[8] However, the super-G scheduled for the first week of February in Garmisch-Partenkirchen was then cancelled due to warm weather.^[9] However, even the time off didn't affect the proliferation of injuries, with Goggia requiring immediate surgery after breaking two bones in her right leg while doing giant slalom training in Italy, putting her on the sidelines for the rest of the season, while 2019 discipline champion Mikaela Shiffrin was still out after her crash in Cortina.^[10]

The last month of the season contained four super-Gs before the finals. In the first, in Crans Montana, Switzerland, downhill specialist Stephanie Venier of Austria, who had finished second behind Gut-Behrami at Cortina, upset the field to record her first super-G win, with Brignone second, Hütter fifth, and Gut-Behrami sixth, reducing Gut-Behrami's lead over Hütter to just five points, and also moving Brignone within 34 and Venier within 94 in the discipline.^[11] However, heavy snowfall in Val di Fassa, Italy prompted cancellation of both super-Gs scheduled there at the end of February, leaving only two races in the season.^[12] But, when the next-to-last downhill of the season, in Kvitfjell, had both planned training runs, on 29 February and 1 March, cancelled by heavy snowfall, the downhill could not be run (as at least one training run prior to the race is required); instead, the race was converted to a super-G to replace one of the canceled races in that discipline, creating back-to-back super Gs on 2 and 3 March.^[13] Gut-Behrami won the first race^[14] and was second the next day behind Brignone in a race delayed repeatedly by fog,^[15] allowing Gut-Behrami to open a 69-point lead over Hütter and a 74-point lead over Brignone, with just the finals remaining.

Finals

The World Cup final was held Friday, 22 March 2023 in Saalbach, Austria. Only the top 25 skiers in the World Cup Super-G discipline and the winner of the Junior World Championship in the discipline, plus any skiers who have scored at least 500 points in the World Cup overall classification for the season, were eligible to compete in the final, and only the top 15 earned World Cup points. However, shortly after winning the Junior World Championship, 20-year-old Swiss skier Malorie Blanc required season-ending surgery to repair a tear of her anterior cruciate ligament,^[16] forcing her to join past discipline champions Corinne Suter and Shiffrin, plus Goggia and fellow Swiss speed skiers Joana Hählen and Jasmine Flury, on the sidelines for the final. Also, no 500-point skiers who were not otherwise eligible chose to compete, leaving the race with a field of 21 starters.

Because of her huge lead going into the final, all Gut-Behrami needed to do was place no worse than 8th to clinch the season crown, and she actually placed seventh, thus winning her fifth super-G season title to tie Katja Seizinger and her former rival Lindsey Vonn for most titles in the discipline; meanwhile, versatile Czech snowboarder and Alpine skier Ester Ledecká won the race, her first Alpine win since missing the entire 2022-23 Alpine season due to injury.^[17]

Standings

	Skier														Total
	align=left bgcolor=ffcf40	*Lara Gut-Behrami*	60	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	60	100	100	bgcolor=red	x	40	x	100	80	36	576
2	align=left bgcolor=c0c0c0	Federica Brignone	45	bgcolor=red	x	100	50	22	29	bgcolor=red	x	80	x	40	100	80	546
3	align=left bgcolor=db781b	Cornelia Hütter	80	bgcolor=red	x	50	100	80	DNF	bgcolor=red	x	45	x	80	36	45	516
4	Stephanie Venier	40	bgcolor=red	x	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	32	14	80	bgcolor=red	x	100	x	24	40	50	380
5		13	bgcolor=red	x	80	80	18	DNF	bgcolor=red	x	36	x	DNF	50	60	337
6	Ester Ledecká	8	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	13	24	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	32	x	50	60	100	287
7		26	bgcolor=red	x	20	36	60	36	bgcolor=red	x	20	x	60	4	16	278
8		29	bgcolor=red	x	22	16	50	50	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	x	22	26	32	247
9	Marta Bassino	36	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	45	2	40	bgcolor=red	x	60	x	16	16	29	244
10		100	bgcolor=red	x	60	DNF	32	45	bgcolor=red	x	DNS	237
11	Kira Weidle	5	bgcolor=red	x	29	18	0	26	bgcolor=red	x	29	x	50	24	40	221
12		bgcolor=lavender	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	13	5	29	60	bgcolor=red	x	50	x	14	22	22	215
13	Lauren Macuga	1	bgcolor=red	x	14	0	26	16	bgcolor=red	x	12	x	36	45	18	168
14	Michelle Gisin	11	bgcolor=red	x	45	16	45	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	8	x	0	18	20	163
15	Ariane Rädler	16	bgcolor=red	x	15	40	0	DNF	bgcolor=red	x	22	x	DNF	32	26	151
16	Laura Pirovano	15	bgcolor=red	x	36	7	12	22	bgcolor=red	x	24	x	0	9	24	149
17	Alice Robinson	24	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	6	10	32	bgcolor=red	x	16	x	18	29	0	135
18	Laura Gauché	22	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	12	36	24	bgcolor=red	x	26	x	12	DNF	DNF	132
19	Roberta Melesi	2	bgcolor=red	x	10	2	40	DNF	bgcolor=red	x	20	x	11	13	0	98
20		32	bgcolor=red	x	24	20	20	DNS	96
21		20	bgcolor=red	x	40	29	5	DNS	94
22	Jasmine Flury	14	bgcolor=red	x	32	26	DNF	20	bgcolor=red	x	DNS	92
23	Elvedina Muzaferija	DNF	bgcolor=red	x	0	0	DNF	18	bgcolor=red	x	15	x	29	20	DNF	82
24	Christina Ager	12	bgcolor=red	x	18	9	0	9	bgcolor=red	x	3	x	26	1	0	78
25	Jasmina Suter	0	bgcolor=red	x	9	3	15	12	bgcolor=red	x	10	x	6	15	0	70
26		0	bgcolor=red	x	16	0	0	DNF	bgcolor=red	x	0	x	32	12	NE	60
27	Priska Nufer	5	bgcolor=red	x	6	14	7	8	bgcolor=red	x	6	x	2	8	NE	56
28	Emma Aicher	DNF	bgcolor=red	x	26	DNF	0	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	4	x	8	14	NE	52
29		50	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	DNS	50
30	Delia Durrer	10	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	0	11	6	bgcolor=red	x	DSQ	x	10	11	NE	48
31	Valérie Grenier	18	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	24	DNF	DNF	DNS	NE	42
	Michaela Heider	DSQ	bgcolor=red	x	11	9	6	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	13	x	3	DNF	NE	42
33		0	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	0	0	7	bgcolor=red	x	11	x	15	DNF	NE	33
34	Teresa Runggaldier	0	bgcolor=red	x	7	0	0	DNF	bgcolor=red	x	0	x	20	5	NE	32
35	Franziska Gritsch	DNF	bgcolor=red	x	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	4	16	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	x	DSQ	10	NE	30
		9	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	11	0	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	x	7	3	NE	30
37	Isabella Wright	DNF	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	1	0	0	bgcolor=red	x	14	x	13	DNF	NE	28
38	Ricarda Haaser	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	DNS	DNF	14	bgcolor=red	x	7	x	DNF	6	NE	27
39	Christine Scheyer	DNF	bgcolor=red	x	2	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	13	4	bgcolor=red	x	5	x	DNF	0	NE	24
		bgcolor=lavender	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	13	DNF	4	DNF	bgcolor=red	x	0	x	4	3	NE	24
41	Camille Cerutti	0	bgcolor=red	x	3	0	9	10	bgcolor=red	x	1	x	0	0	NE	23
42	Stephanie Jenal	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	22	0	DNF	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	x	0	0	NE	22
43	Nicol Delago	0	bgcolor=red	x	1	0	3	11	bgcolor=red	x	0	x	5	0	NE	20
44	Nadine Fest	6	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	DNF	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	1	bgcolor=red	x	3	x	9	0	NE	19
45	Tricia Mangan	0	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	bgcolor=red	x	10	x	0	7	NE	17
46	Noémie Kolly	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	DNS	15	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	x	0	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	NE	15
47	Vicky Bernardi	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	DNS	0	13	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	x	DNS	NE	13
	Lisa Hörnblad	DNF	bgcolor=red	x	0	0	8	5	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	x	DNF	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	NE	13
49	Jacqueline Wiles	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	10	DNF	0	bgcolor=red	x	0	x	0	0	NE	10
50	Stephanie Brunner	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	8	0	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	DNS	NE	8
51	Keely Cashman	7	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	0	0	0	bgcolor=red	x	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	x	0	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	NE	7
52	Juliana Suter	DNF	bgcolor=red	x	5	DNS	NE	5
53	Sabrina Maier	DNF	bgcolor=red	x	4	0	DNF	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	0	DNS	DNF	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	NE	4
54	Nadia Delago	0	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	0	DNF	3	bgcolor=red	x	0	x	DNF	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	NE	3
	Elisabeth Reisinger	3	bgcolor=red	x	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	DNS	NE	3
56	Cassidy Gray	DNF	bgcolor=red	x	DNS	DNF	2	bgcolor=red	x	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	DNS	NE	2
	Michelle Niederwieser	0	bgcolor=red	x	DNF	0	2	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	DNS	NE	2
58		bgcolor=lavender	DNS	bgcolor=red	x	DNS	1	bgcolor=lavender	DNS	NE	1
	References	^[18]	bgcolor=pink		^[19]	^[20]	^[21]	^[22]	bgcolor=pink		^[23]	bgcolor=pink	^[24]	bgcolor=pink		^[25]	^[26]	^[27]