Wiles Earns 13th in Saalbach Downhill Finale

Jackie Wiles snagged 13th place at the World Cup Finals downhill on Saturday, March 23, in Saalbach, Austria to close her impressive 2023-24 comeback season. 

Wiles landed a career-best second-place finish in the downhill at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy this season, six years after her first and only World Cup podium. After sitting out the 2022-23 season following surgery and rehab of a right knee full patella tendon reconstruction, Wiles’ goal heading into this season was simply “getting back to herself.” Finishing the season ranked 14th in the world in downhill was beyond her expectations. 

“I’m psyched to be in the top 15 at the end of the season,” Wiles reflected. "Coming back this year, I had expectations to try and get back to myself, but after being away with injuries, you just never know. I knew that if I skied the best that I could, I could have a great season. So to be able to come out and actually execute this year, get past some fear, and feel confident, I’m really psyched.”

With a storm coming in, there were several course holds and delays on Saturday due to high winds. It was a race to the finish for the downhill Crystal Globe. Austria’s Cornelia Huetter put on a show for the home crowd, finishing first and moving ahead of Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami to walk away with the globe. Slovenia’s Ilka Stuhec and Italy’s Nicole Delago each slid across the finish line to round out the podium in second and third, respectively. 

“The most rewarding moment this year was the podium in Cortina,” said Wiles. “I’ve had such a special feeling there, and to have everything come together on a day and have family and friends after so many tough years of injuries and coming back and being able to do that proved a lot to me. It was really special and meant a lot to me.”

Wiles is looking forward to heading into a summer prep period healthy for the first time in a while and to “coming back with a bit even more fierce and fight to me.” 

Teammates Mikaela Shiffrin and Lauren Macuga watched the race from the finish, and Shiffrin was joined by Norwegian boyfriend Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who was also injured in January. Kilde and the entire team celebrated Shiffrin’s third-place overall finish in the standings at the award presentation following the race. Gut-Behrami was first overall with 1,716 points, while Italy’s Federica Brignone was second with 1,581 points. Despite missing six weeks of competition, Shiffrin still amassed 1,409 points. 

The 2023-24 World Cup season will conclude on Sunday, March 24 with the men’s downhill. 

RESULTS
Women’s downhill 

CUP STANDINGS
Women’s downhill 

HOW TO WATCH 

March 24 (ET)
6:15 a.m. - men’s downhill - Peacock