Emma Aicher misses the podium on the World Cup departure-only 0.27 seconds are missing!

Emma Aicher misses the podium on the World Cup departure-only 0.27 seconds are missing!

On February 8, 2025, the women's World Cup departure took place in the Austrian Saalbach-Hinterglemm. The 21-year-old Emma Aicher fought fibuted for a medal, ultimately she won the 6th place, only 0.48 seconds behind the new world champion Breezy Johnson from the USA. Aicher was only 0.27 seconds on the podium. With a late start number 30, however, she had to struggle with a slopes that is not ideally prepared, which significantly impaired her chances of a topp. reported.

Breezy Johnson celebrated her first World Cup victory after she had previously been closed for 14 months due to doping test. Her return to the top was remarkable, especially since she went into the race with start number one. Johnson, who won the departure of 0.15 seconds to the second -placed Mirjam Puchner from Austria, said after the competition that her run was not perfect, but had a good feeling during the departure. Puchner won the silver medal and Ester Ledecká, which is also active in snowboarding, secured the bronze medal with a deficit of 0.21 seconds.

Aicher's appearance and their assessments

For Emma Aicher, the day after strong training trips and a promising 6th place in the Super-G was a big test. The expert Martina Lechner from Eurosport critically analyzed Aicher's performance and stated: "She just had Lospech." Felix Neureuther, also an expert, noticed that Aicher might have won a medal with another start number. Despite the disappointment, Aicher was satisfied with her performance and scored the first points of the season in the departure.

Kira Weidle-Winkelmann, the second German starter, came to 12th place and was 1.64 seconds behind the winner. She expressed that the basic speed was not optimal during the race. The competition continued with other strong runs: Stephanie Venier from Austria became ninth and Federica Brignone took tenth place. Lindsey Vonn, the legend of skiing, finished the race in 15th place, while the Italian Sofia Goggia reached the 16th place. Nationwide, attention focused on the younger talents and their development in skiing, since Vonn and Goggia is less expected.

context and historical perspective

The descent is one of the most prestigious disciplines in alpine skiing. Historically, many athletes from different countries have won medals at World Championships, which underlines diversity and competition spirit in this sport. Athletes such as Aicher and Johnson have taken a place in history in particular since the last world championships. With Johnson's victory and Aicher's strong appearance it becomes clear that the next major sporting arguments are already on the horizon.

It remains to be seen how the athletes will present themselves in the upcoming competitions and whether Aicher can continue to realize their ambitions on a podium. The next big challenge will come on Sunday with the men's descent, another highlight of the Alpine World Ski Championship.