Austrian Cornelia Hütter edged Olympic gold medalists to win the Stifel Birds of Prey downhill at Beaver Creek, Colorado, on Saturday.
Hütter, 32, overtook 2018 Olympic gold medalist Sofia Goggia of Italy by 18 hundredths of a second in the first speed race of the women’s World Cup season.
Swiss Lara Gut-Behrami, the 2022 Olympic super-G champion, was third, 34 hundredths behind.
Lauren Macuga was fourth, improving her personal-best World Cup result by one place. Macuga, 22, was 18 hundredths shy of becoming the youngest American to make a World Cup downhill podium since Lindsey Vonn in 2006.
ALPINE SKIING: Full Results | Broadcast Schedule
Vonn is a non-competitive forerunner in this weekend’s races before her planned World Cup return next weekend.
Swiss Corinne Suter, the 2022 Olympic downhill champ, was 20th in her first race since left knee surgery in January.
The women raced the Birds of Prey downhill course for the first time. It has been an annual stop on the men’s World Cup for decades.
Hütter earned her seventh World Cup victory and second consecutive downhill win. She also won the World Cup Finals downhill last March to capture the season title in the discipline.
Goggia, the most successful downhiller over the last decade, raced for the first time since right leg surgery last February. She said she was “really close” to quitting this past summer.
She has made the podium in 13 of her last 15 World Cup downhills dating to December 2022.
The women race a super-G on Sunday. NBC and Peacock will air highlights of the Beaver Creek World Cup on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.
Alpine Skiing World Cup Results: Beaver Creek Downhill
1. Cornelia Hütter (AUT) -- 1:32.28
2. Sofia Goggia (ITA) -- +.16
3. Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) -- +.34
4. Lauren Macuga (USA) -- +.52
5. Ricarda Haaser (AUT) -- +.56
6. Ester Ledecka (CZE) -- +.60
7. Marta Bassino (ITA) -- +.64
8. Michelle Gisin (SUI) -- +.72
9. Federica Brignone (ITA) -- +.87
10. Ilka Stuhec (SLO) -- +.88
