Italians Dominate Val di Fassa World Cup Races

In Val di Fassa, Italy, Italian skiers dominated the women's Alpine Ski World Cup over the weekend, with Laura Pirovano securing back-to-back downhill victories on Friday and Saturday, followed by Elena Curtoni's superG win on Sunday. The results reshaped the discipline standings and bolstered Mikaela Shiffrin's lead in the overall competition, while injuries sidelined American Lindsey Vonn from the downhill title chase.

Pirovano, a 28-year-old Italian, claimed her first career World Cup wins in dramatic fashion during the two downhills on home snow. On Friday, she edged out Olympic silver medalist Emma Aicher of Germany by 0.01 seconds, with Olympic champion Breezy Johnson of the United States finishing third, 0.28 seconds back. The victory marked Pirovano's first podium in her 125th World Cup start and propelled her to third in the downhill standings with 200 points. Aicher collected 80 points for second place, narrowing Vonn's lead to 14 points.

Vonn, who had won two downhills earlier in the season at age 41, was absent due to a broken leg sustained in a crash during the Milano Cortina Olympics last month. Her pre-injury total of 400 points kept her atop the downhill...