Alpine Skiing - FIS Alpine World Ski Championships - Team Parallel - Saalbach, Austria - February 4, 2025 Italy's Lara Della Mea, Alex Vinatzer, Giorgia Collomb and Filippo Della Vite celebrate on the podium with their team after winning the Team Parallel REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
SAALBACH, Austria (Reuters) -Italy won the first gold medal of the 2025 Alpine ski world championships on Tuesday after beating Switzerland in the final of the mixed team parallel event in the Austrian resort of Saalbach.
Sweden completed the podium after beating 2023 champions the United States 3-1 to the bronze medal.
The Italians took the lead in the first race of the 'big final' with Giorgia Collomb beating Wendy Holdener but then went 2-1 down after quick Swiss wins for Luca Aerni and Delphine Darbellay.
Alex Vinatzer then levelled the scores on the final run against Thomas Tumler and Italy took their first gold in the event on the tie-break time.
Filippo della Vite, who lost to Aerni, and Lara Della Mea, beaten by Darbellay, completed the golden quartet celebrating at the finish.
Italy had secured their place in the final by beating Sweden, who had earlier eliminated hosts Austria, by just 0.01 on a tie-break.
Sweden took a 2-0 lead in the 'small final', with Sara Hector and Kristoffer Jakobsen winning their races, but Nina O'Brien kept U.S. hopes alive by beating Estelle Alphand before Isaiah Nelson skied out against Fabian Ax Swartz.
The event, which will not feature at next year's Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics for logistical reasons, was combined with an opening ceremony of music and visual effects that entertained the crowd between the heats.
The draw featured the top 16 nations in the overall World Cup rankings competing on the same piste in parallel giant slaloms.
A total of 11 golds are up for grabs at the 13-day championships that end on Feb. 16.
The championships continue on Thursday with the women's super-G, a first chance for American Lindsey Vonn to medal on her comeback at the age of 40 and in her first championship race since 2019.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Toby Davis)
