Ester Ledecká back on podium with third place in St. Anton downhill

Three-time Olympic champion Ester Ledecká claimed third place in the downhill race at St. Anton, marking her eleventh career podium finish in the Ski World Cup. She finished just 18 hundredths of a second behind Italian winner Federica Brignone. In a surprising turn, Swiss skier Malorie Blanc, starting with the high number 46, claimed second place on a course shortened due to fresh snow.

This was the 29-year-old Ledecká’s first podium since her super-G victory in Saalbach, Austria, last March. It is also her seventh podium in a downhill event, with her most recent previous finish being second in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, in 2022. Fellow Czech skier Tereza Nová finished in 45th place.