San Francisco Frontiers - Flury upstages favourites to win 'unreal' world downhill gold

Flury, starting second in brilliant sunshine and rapidly rising temperatures, clocked 1min 28.03sec down the Roc de Fer piste in the French resort of Meribel.

"It's amazing, unreal," said the 29-year-old Flury, who has one World Cup super-G victory to her name, from St Moritz in 2017, and just one other podium finish on the circuit, a second place in last month's Garmisch downhill.

"It still feels like a dream. I don’t know what is happening and with Corinne (Suter) on the podium, I don’t know, more than a dream has come true.

"I didn't expect to win today."

Austrian Nina Ortlieb, whose father Patrick won the world downhill title in 1996 as well as Olympic gold in Val d'Isere in 1992, claimed silver at 0.04sec, with Switzerland's reigning world and Olympic champion Suter taking bronze a further eight-hundredths adrift.

Ortlieb said her silver was "reward for all the hard work" after almost two years on the sidelines rehabbing from severe injury.

"I have more world championships to come, maybe one day I can also bring home a gold!" said Ortlieb.

- 'More than disappointed' -

There was no dream outing for Goggia, however, with all eyes on the Italian star who is the Olympic silver medallist having bagged gold in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, and is currently leading this season's World Cup downhill standings having also won the downhill crystal globe in three of the last five seasons.

Goggia badly negotiated the last rolling pitch leading into the finish area and straddled a gate. She was left incredulous and stockstill after crossing the line, her team writhing with angst at seeing their star racer go out.

"I’m more than disappointed, I’m sorrowful, because no one will ever give me the chance to achieve a medal in the world championship and this hurts inside," Goggia said.

"I know sport is this way, sometimes you rank fourth and everyone expects you to win and it doesn't come. Life goes on, we’re moving onto the next races, this doesn’t change my beautiful career and the skier I am. I will try next time."

Racing after the death this week of former teammate Elena Fanchini after a long battle with cancer, the Italian team donned black armbands in her honour.

But they misfired on the piste, first with Goggia and then Elena Curtoni, Laura Pirovano and Nicol Delago. The quartet came together for an emotional minute's silence for Fanchini after the race.

The top 11 racers all finished within one second of each other, two-time world champion Ilka Stuhec of Slovenia unable to match her efforts from 2017 and 2019 as she came sixth (+0.42), behind Austrian pair Cornelia Huetter and Mirjam Puchner in equal fourth (+0.37).

Another of the big favourites, Lara Gut-Behrami, a three-time medallist in the world downhill (one silver, two bronze), finished 0.71 off the pace and could only look on as her unheralded Swiss teammate topped the podium.

Q.Taylor--SFF