Emma Aicher missed out on the Downhill Crystal Globe at this year’s Ski World Cup Finals, but she still has a chance to win the overall title. How can she achieve this?
At the Finals in Lillehammer (March 21-25), the 22-year-old skier aimed to secure two Crystal Globes. While she didn’t win the small globe for the Downhill World Cup (finishing the season in second place), the overall World Cup victory is still within her grasp.
Mikaela Shiffrin currently holds a 140-point lead in the overall standings. While this might sound substantial, it’s not a huge buffer for the American, as a victory awards 100 points, and subsequent podium finishes bring in 80 and 60 points respectively. Points are awarded down to 30th place according to the following system:
| Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 100 | 80 | 60 | 50 | 45 | 40 | 36 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
With three races remaining (Super-G, Giant Slalom, Slalom), anything is still possible. Aicher could significantly cut into the deficit today with a strong performance in the Lillehammer Super-G. Aicher has solidified her favorite status with five seasonal victories in speed disciplines. In contrast, Shiffrin skipped several Super-G races this season, with 23rd place in Val di Fassa being her best result.
The battle for the overall title will likely be decided in the technical disciplines in Hafjell. Since Aicher can gain a maximum of 100 points on Shiffrin in the Super-G, and would still need at least 40 more points, she will need to outperform Shiffrin in both slalom events. A podium finish for Aicher would, of course, be ideal, as the point differences are greater at the top ranks than at lower positions.
Emma Aicher could become the first German female alpine skier to win the overall World Cup since Maria Höfl-Riesch in 2011. She would be only the fourth athlete in the history of the German Ski Association (DSV) to achieve this triumph.
Lillehammer World Cup Schedule
| Date | Time | Discipline |
| Saturday, March 21 | 12:30 | Downhill |
| Sunday, March 22 | 10:45 | Super-G |
| Tuesday, March 24 | 10:30 | Slalom (1st Run) |
| 13:30 | Slalom (2nd Run) | |
| Wednesday, March 25 | 09:30 | Giant Slalom (1st Run) |
| 12:30 | Giant Slalom (2nd Run) |