Athletes & Storylines to Watch
Alpine Skiing – Women’s Downhill
In women’s VI, no skier performed better than Veronika Aigner (AUT) this season, finishing top of the Overall standings as well as the Downhill standings. Aside from a DNF in Tignes, she topped the podium in all but one races where she finished second. Aigner’s biggest challenge at Milano Cortina comes with the change of guide after her usual companion, her sister Elisabeth, suffered an injury that ruled her out. In Downhill, she will take to the slopes with Lilly Sammer as she competes in this event on this stage for the very first time. Arguably Aigner’s biggest threat to gold is Alexandra Rexova (SVK), guided by Sophia Polak, whose best performances have been in this event over the 2025/26 season. The 20-year-old finished just 10 points behind Aigner in the Downhill standings.
In women’s Standing, Aurélie Richard (FRA) is the one to watch after her leading performances across this event all season. She comfortably topped the Downhill standings, finishing first in all but two races. Of the two she finished second, Richard was pipped to the top spot by Ebba Årsjö (SWE), who won bronze in this race at Beijing 2022. Mollie Jepsen (CAN) is also one to watch, entering the event as the defending Paralympic champion and placing second in the Downhill standings this season.
In women’s Sitting, there are plenty of names in the hat when it comes to gold in the Downhill. Two standouts include Anna-Lena Forster (GER), a silver medalist in Beijing, and rising star Audrey Pascual Seco (ESP), who finished top of these standings in this season’s World Cup. China had a strong delegation of athletes across all Downhill categories four years ago, including this one with Liu Sitong (CHN) who won bronze. After finishing fourth in the standings this year, she is another athlete who could challenge for the top spot in Italy.