Downhill training canceled again because of poor weather

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia (AP) — A second women’s downhill training run was canceled Thursday on the 2014 Sochi Olympic course, putting Saturday’s World Cup race at risk.

The International Ski Federation published a photograph showing the mountain shrouded in fog.

Something similar happened last season at the Rosa Khutor venue when the first World Cup races since the 2014 Games were wiped out by the weather for five days.

Three downhill training days lost last season forced the race the to be canceled for safety reasons. A revised plan for super-G races on both weekend slots also could not start because of the weather.

Organizers will try again Friday for the mandatory downhill training run. A super-G is scheduled for Sunday.

World Cup leader Mikaela Shiffrin did not travel to Russia’s Black Sea coast for the races because she wants to focus on training and rest. Shiffrin also did not travel last year to Sochi, where she won the 2014 Olympic title in her preferred slalom event.

The last top-tier women’s downhill at Rosa Khutor ended in a tie between Tina Maze and Dominique Gisin. Both got Olympic gold medals under sunshine and blue skies.