The last Vertical World Cup race of the season took place today in Cortina d'Ampezzo in glorious sunshine and spring-like temperatures. The big favorite for the overall victory in the discipline World Cup, Sarah Dreier, finished the race over 680 vertical meters in second place and thus won the small crystal globe for the second time in a row. The Salzburg native had been struggling with severe knee pain in recent weeks, but thanks to the excellent work of the team physiotherapist, she was able to complete the race pain-free.

In a very, very tough race, in which the altitude of well over 2,500 meters also played a role, the 26-year-old was only able to keep up with the high pace of the eventual winner Axelle Gachet-Mollaret (FRA) at the beginning. While the Frenchwoman pulled away, Dreier fought a close head-to-head duel with Sweden's Tove Alexandersson. Only in the final section was the Ski Austria lady able to create a small gap and finally cross the finish line in 2nd place.

“My goal was of course to take the small globe home with me. After the severe knee pain of the last two weeks, I had some doubts as to whether it would work. Thanks to our physiotherapist, however, I was able to run a pain-free race and am more than happy with my 2nd place and victory in the overall Vertical World Cup.” she said after the race.⁠

Congratulations, Sarah!