Challenging Super-G in Cortina: German Skiers Aicher and Weidle-Winkelmann Fail to Finish Amidst Difficult Conditions

At the 2026 Winter Olympics Super-G event in Cortina d’Ampezzo, German skiers Emma Aicher and Kira Weidle-Winkelmann, both previous silver medalists in earlier Olympic events, faced a tough day on the course as they failed to finish their runs. Aicher, 22, who had won silver medals in the downhill and team combination disciplines, struggled with the challenging terrain and said, "I didn’t really ski that well, but I believe the paths were okay. I just didn’t have enough direction over the bumps, and that simply isn’t enough." Weidle-Winkelmann started strong but lost momentum after deviating from the course, citing the unexpected complexity of the Super-G and the damp, warm snow conditions that created difficult racing surfaces. The difficult conditions, including fog around the Tofana di Mezzo peak and soft snow, contributed to a high dropout rate in the event, with 17 of 43 competitors not finishing—including other top athletes such as Sofia Goggia and Esther Ledecka.

In a remarkable contrast to the challenges faced by these competitors, Italian skier Federica Brignone delivered an impressive comeback race, winning the gold medal with a time of 1:23.41 minutes. At 35 years old, Brignone became the oldest Olympic alpine champion in history. After overcoming a serious injury earlier, she embraced an all-or-nothing strategy to secure the win, adding a prestigious Olympic title to her multiple World Cup victories and previous Olympic medals.

The Super-G event thus proved to be a day of mixed fortunes, with German athletes Aicher and Weidle-Winkelmann's promising Olympic performances ending prematurely amid unusual and difficult race conditions, while Brignone's victory highlighted resilience and mastery in alpine skiing's challenging disciplines.