World Ski Championships: Puchner conquers the best time in downhill training before the big race!

The excitement at the 2025 World Ski Championships in Saalbach is increasing! After two thrilling women's downhill training sessions, all signs point to the decisive third training session, which begins on Friday at 9:30 a.m. The Swiss Lara Gut-Behrami won the first training session, but the Austrian Mirjam Puchner also showed a strong performance by setting the best time in the second training session and leaving the American Breezy Johnson behind by an impressive 0.73 seconds, as shown on laola1.at is reported. The focus of the ÖSV riders is now on optimal preparation for the downhill race on Saturday, which promises the first medal of the World Cup.

When it comes to the Swiss men, it is clear that they are also preparing well for the competitions. On Wednesday they were active in the second downhill training, and it was already clear that Vincent Kriechmayr is ready to bounce back from his injuries. He showed a strong performance and, together with Marco Odermatt and several other speed cracks, was on point in the first training session of the first day of the World Championships. This was done by nau.ch reported. The men's final training will follow on Thursday, where the drama surrounding the open starting places for the downhill will grow.

The best drivers and their performance

Lara Gut-Behrami, despite her skepticism about the demanding “Ulli Maier” route, dominates in the first downhill training. Her teammates Corinne Suter and Malorie Blanc are also showing strong approaches. “It's a special descent,” Gut-Behrami clearly expressed her impressions. The next big chance for medals comes on Saturday, and the tension within the team is palpable as Priska Ming-Nufer wants to secure the last ticket for the World Cup downhill. The expectations and anticipation are high because all the athletes are pooling their strengths for the big competition.