Nina Ortlieb Tops Second Downhill Training on Andorra's Àliga Course

Nina Ortlieb of Austria led the second downhill training session on Andorra's Àliga course in El Tarter with a time of 1:32.26, ahead of Switzerland's Corinne Suter (+0.76 seconds) and Italy's Sofia Goggia (+0.82 seconds). Speeds reached 120 km/h in the session, which featured 60 skiers from 15 countries preparing for Friday's 11am downhill race.

Andorra's Jordina Caminal improved to 42nd place—some sources reported 43rd—with 1:36.39, 4.13 seconds off Ortlieb's pace and 1.73 seconds from the top 30. Starting with bib 50, she gained nearly 1.5 seconds on her Wednesday first-training mark of around 1:37.56, when she placed 45th (+4.17 seconds) behind leader Ester Ledecká's 1:33.39. Ledecká topped that opener ahead of Italy's Nicol Delago (+0.37) and Goggia (+0.43). Germany's Emma Aicher, second in downhill standings, was 38th in the first run, while compatriot Kira Weidle-Winkelhmann took 10th.

Caminal said she had addressed some mistakes but needed work in the middle section. "I'm keen to review the video and go all out tomorrow," she noted, adding that conditions should remain similar. She praised volunteer support so far and anticipated a boost from the home crowd. The 22-year-old, Andorra's sole entrant after Cande Moreno's Olympic crash in Cortina d'Ampezzo, eyes a top-30 finish on the 2.4km course with 751m drop. Her 24th in Olympic downhill marked Andorra's best women's result there; she did not finish the super-G.

The event draws 66 speed specialists for downhill Friday and super-Gs Saturday-Sunday at 10:15am. Lindsey Vonn, sidelined by knee damage from Crans-Montana and her Olympic fall, leads downhill with 400 points over Aicher (256) and Weidle-Winkelhmann (232). Goggia tops super-G at 280 points ahead of Alice Robinson (220), with rivals including Romane Miradoli, Ledecká, Aicher and Cornelia Hutter. Federica Brignone, recent Olympic super-G and giant slalom gold medallist recovering from injury, placed 17th in the opener and called Àliga one of her favourite venues with excellent conditions.

Race director Santi López described the track as "in very good condition," thanks to pre-snow control, recent rain for base consolidation and ongoing grooming amid heavy snowfalls. Over 10,500m of A- and B-type netting secures the 2.4km layout, including the Gall jump and Curvone turn. Organiser David Hidalgo highlighted the high field depth despite absences, near-sold-out stands for 450 daily spectators and favourable weather forecasts. "The level is extremely high," he said. Goggia noted the first training helps grasp the track, the second refines skiing, and the race demands full effort.