Women’s World Cup downhill cancelled again by heavy snow

VAL D’ISERE, France (AP) — A women’s World Cup downhill race was cancelled Sunday for the second straight day because of heavy snowfalls in the French Alps.

The International Ski Federation wrote on Twitter there was “nothing we could do against the weather.”

The race was first scheduled Saturday and postponed. Organizers then switched the program for Sunday to focus on the downhill instead of a scheduled Alpine combined event.

The blank weekend at Val d’Isere means World Cup standings leader Mikaela Shiffrin kept her points lead after skipping the French venue. She chose to train for races next weekend in Lienz, Austria in her preferred disciplines of slalom and giant slalom.

The next women’s downhill is Jan. 11 in Altenmarkt, Austria.