The downhill world champion confirmed her status by winning the Olympic downhill at the Beijing Games.
Switzerland dominates alpine skiing in Beijing. After Beat Feuz in the men’s downhill, Marco Odermatt in the men’s Géant and Lara Gut-Behrami in the women’s Super-G, it was Corinne Suter who won gold in the women’s downhill in China.
The reigning world champion in the discipline won in Yanqing with a spectacular time of 1’31”87. She beat Sofia Goggia (1’32”03, +0.16), Olympic champion in Pyeongchang and victim of a heavy fall in Cortina in mid-January (sprained knee and micro-fracture of the fibula), inevitably disappointed at the arrival but who wins an almost unexpected silver medal. The Italian is accompanied on the box by her compatriot Nadia Delago (1’32”44, +0.57), third.
On the side of the French, the day was rather delicate. Laura Gauché took tenth place, best tricolor, more than a second behind Suter (1’33”47, +1.60) while Romane Miradoli finished thirteenth (1’33”93, +2.06). The latter was very disappointed on arrival at the microphone of France TV: “I’m really disgusted. I really put heart. I do a good high part, but I am surprised by the speed. I didn’t bring enough speed and when I got to the bottom I knew it was dead. I’m so disappointed, I wanted to have a good race “.
Tiffany Gauthier, she did not go to the end of the descent. The 28-year-old skier stopped after a few gates without it being known whether it was due to a trajectory error or an injury. Finally, Camille Cerutti fell heavily at the start of her race, sliding for several tens of meters while screaming in pain. Chilling images hoping to quickly have good news about the 23-year-old skier.