Emma Aicher wins her first World Cup race. The young German wins the second downhill in Kvitfjell.
01.03.2025, 16:42
01.03.2025, 16:52
SDA
A touch of time made her the winner of the World Cup - one day after finishing second in the first downhill at the same venue. Three hundredths tipped the scales in her favor in this duel between two up-and-coming skiers. Emma Aicher, 21 years old, did what Lauren Macuga, 22 years old, had already achieved. The American had already come first in the World Cup seven weeks earlier in the super-G in St. Anton am Arlberg.
And now also Emma Aicher. She has long been regarded as the greatest alpine talent in the German Ski Association (DSV) and has long been expected to follow in the footsteps of Maria Höfl-Riesch. She has often hinted at her talent, most recently as sixth in the World Championship downhill in Saalbach. She has also often been on the right track in the World Cup, but has not been able to take advantage of her good starting position. She is still not always able to switch between the individual disciplines as she would like.
Emma Aicher is competing in all four disciplines, the only one in the current field of World Cup skiers. She has competed in all 24 races so far this winter. Life as a so-called all-rounder is not an easy one. Nevertheless, the athlete and those responsible at the DSV are convinced of the direction she has taken. In the case of the frequent starter, there is no question of her getting bogged down. Driving forward her sporting development in a more targeted manner by gradually approaching the downhill, super-G, giant slalom and slalom is not an option for anyone involved. Wolfgang Maier, the Alpine Director, and Andi Puelacher, the head coach of the women's team, believe they have made the right decision.
Sweden, Engelberg, Germany
Emma Aicher is a stroke of luck for German ski racing in two senses. The highly talented athlete could also have opted to remain in the Swedish team. She competed for the country where she was born and where her mother Viktoria comes from until five years ago, but then decided to switch to the DSV. Her father Andreas justified the switch with the better training opportunities in the Alps. Switzerland also played a role in Emma Aicher's life as an athlete. For a long time, she lived with her family in Engelberg, where she was also a member of the local ski club.
Emma Aicher is the quieter kind of skier. She seems almost shy - no comparison to Lauren Macuga, who likes the loud and shrill. The dual national feels more comfortable on the race track than away from the spotlight. In keeping with her nature, she knows how to appreciate her status as a top athlete. She knows the value of not taking herself too seriously. This is another reason why she doesn't like to push herself to the fore.
On Saturday, Emma Aicher was of course unable to escape the hype surrounding her. She was the center of attention after a race in which she became the first German to win a World Cup downhill in five years and Viktoria Rebensburg's victory in Garmisch. Behind Lauren Macuga was the Austrian Cornelia Hütter, the winner from the previous day.
Unfulfilled expectations
The Swiss women were once again unable to live up to expectations. Lara Gut-Behrami and Corinne Suter finished eighth and ninth as Swiss-Ski's best skiers. It goes without saying that this was not the desired improvement compared to the first downhill. Lara Gut-Behrami was promising until the last intermediate time, but ended up half a second behind in the lowest part of the course - a little too much in a race with close time gaps at the top. In a downhill where a touch of time was decisive in the battle for victory.
