The notorious fourth gate at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre once again proved a formidable obstacle during Tuesday’s Olympic women’s combined event, just days after a devastating crash involving American star Lindsey Vonn.
For teammate Bella Wright, the troublesome gate brought an abrupt end to her portion of the team combined competition.
Aiming for a more aggressive line than her 21st-place downhill finish, Wright pushed closer to the gate on the technically demanding upper section of the 2,572-metre course. This decision led to a momentary loss of balance in the air.
While she avoided a crash, Wright couldn’t recover in time, veering offline and skiing left of the subsequent gate. Her run ended at the same spot as Vonn’s, though thankfully without injury.
“I just skied it with a little more ‘oomph’ and really tried to create some speed out of it, which I did,” Wright explained. “But therefore my line was just too straight and I missed that next gate.”
She added, “My [line] was within a foot [of the gate]. It just happened so fast [but] that’s ski racing. So definitely bummed.”
Vonn, who suffered a potentially career-ending broken leg after clipping the gate with her right arm, later posted on Instagram that she was “5 inches too tight” in her pursuit of a second Olympic gold in the event.
However, Breezy Johnson, who alongside Vonn is the only American woman to win the marquee alpine event at the Games, successfully navigated the challenging section.
She steered well clear of the gate during her run, still laying down the fastest time of the session, giving teammate Mikaela Shiffrin a crucial lead.
Johnson described the area around gate four as “really bumpy”, a sentiment informed by personal experience. Five years ago, during the 2021 world championships, she briefly lost control in the same spot, costing her a shot at a medal.
“It’s kind of a weird spot,” Johnson remarked. “Sometimes you can be in what you think is the right place, but if you hit a bump wrong it just rocks your world.”
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