Wiles Posts Two Top 15 Finishes in Crans Montana Downhills
The women's downhill races are complete in Crans-Montana, Switzerland and Jackie Wiles finished 13th in both, two career-best results at the venue since she first took on the track in 2014.
Wiles has consistently bettered herself at each World Cup event in the 2023-24 season after taking the previous year off due to injury. In her first race in Val d'Isere, Wiles finished 25th, wearing bib 39. Now Wiles is back where she belongs, in the mix with the best speed athletes on the women's circuit, starting the first 10 bibs, a vast improvement from where she began in the season.
"Like my coach Alex (Hoedelmoser) told me, it only takes one race to get you back in there," she laughed.
Of course, after finishing in third during the second training of the week in Crans-Montana, Wiles had hoped for better results in her favorite discipline. However, the warm weather and variable soft snow made for an awkward race weekend. Topped with a couple of mistakes, Wiles could not punch it back onto the podium. Despite a tinge of disappointment, two top 15s are solid results that further solidify her chance at making the World Cup finals in Saalbach, and overall, she continues to build confidence in her strength and capabilities after years marred by injury after injury.
Her teammate, Lauren Macuga, also has had quite the confidence-building season. Macuga scored her first-career World Cup points in Saint Mortiz in December and has continued to build further into the points, her best result being 10th in the Zauchensee super-G.
This weekend in Crans, Macuga finished 20th in Friday's downhill and 23rd on Saturday. She'll look to post another top-25 result on Sunday in the weekend's final race, the super-G.
The downhill series also marked a monumental weekend for 19-year-old Allison Mollin, as she earned the first World Cup start of her career, competing in both Saturday and Sunday's events.
"I almost started crying at the start gate; I was so excited," Mollin exclaimed after her first run in the finish. "Then I realized that this wasn't a dream, and I actually had to focus and race, so it wouldn't be helpful if I couldn't see."
Sunday, Feb. 18, the women's racing in Crans-Montana wraps with a final super-G, beginning at 4:30 a.m. ET. Fans can watch live on skiandsnowboard.live.
RESULTS
Women's downhill - 2/16
Women's downhill - 2/17
SUPER-G STARTERS (name/bib)
Lauren Macuga (28)
Bella Wright (32)
Jackie Wiles (40)
Tricia Mangan (44)
