Brignone, Odermatt win season-long downhill titles after wind cancels races at World Cup finals

SUN VALLEY, Idaho (AP) — Italian ski racer Federica Brignone and Marco Odermatt of Switzerland earned season-long downhill titles Saturday after the races at World Cup finals were canceled due to high wind.

The events were delayed several times throughout the day — first by early morning snow conditions and later because of the gusty conditions along the course. The sun was shining when the announcement was made and a big crowd gathered at the finish line.

Neither race will be made up, meaning Odermatt captures his second straight downhill discipline crown and Brignone the first of her career in the event. Brignone also officially locks up the women's overall title, which was already a foregone conclusion. She led Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland by a 382-point margin heading into the weekend.

“I’ve been working really hard to get better in downhill, to win a race, but to win the World Cup was just something really unexpected,” Brignone said. “This is just amazing. I mean, the season has been crazy.”

Good thing she bought a plane ticket to Sun Valley for her mom, former ski racer Maria Rosa Quario. The venue was playing host to a World Cup event for the first time since 1977.

“Before Christmas,” she said, “I would like to come to Sun Valley, because it’s a place that I've never seen in the World Cup. But I will come only if you play for something big. For a Christmas present, I give her the plane tickets. I was like, ‘OK, this is valuable for a plane ticket to Sun Valley,' and I hope to play for something big."

Later in the finals, her mother will see her earn another trophy when the overall award is presented. The spots to join Brignone on the podium are still up in the air. Gut-Behrami is currently in second and Brignone's Italian teammate Sofia Goggia third.

The women’s downhill was setting up to be quite a showdown, too, with Brignone entering the World Cup finals with a 16-point lead over Cornelia Huetter of Austria in the discipline and a 34-point margin over Goggia.

“I'm a little bit sad,” said Huetter, who was the defending World Cup downhill champion. “But all in all, I'm also really happy with my whole downhill season. It was amazing. I think I've not lost today the globe, but I lost in January where I was a little bit ill and also struggled with my mindset and everything.”

Odermatt had already secured his fourth straight overall crown before World Cup finals. In the downhill standings, he had an 83-point lead over Swiss teammate Franjo von Allmen. Another teammate, Alexis Monney, was third in the downhill standings for a Swiss podium sweep.

“It's just fun to ski fast, to win races," said Odermatt, who's already clinched the super-G and giant slalom titles this season. “This is what motivates me to continue pushing — to try to stay ahead of my teammates who are pushing really hard.”

There's a men's and women's super-G scheduled for Sunday.

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

First place finisher Marco Odermatt celebrates during a ceremony for the men's season downhill champion at the World Cup Finals, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

First place finisher Marco Odermatt celebrates during a ceremony for the men's season downhill champion at the World Cup Finals, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

First place finisher Marco Odermatt celebrates during a ceremony for the men's season downhill champion at the World Cup Finals, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

CORRECTS ORDER OF FINISHERS - From left, second place finisher Franjo Von Allmen, first place finisher Marco Odermatt and third place finisher Alexis Monney celebrate during a trophy ceremony for the men's season downhill champion at the World Cup Finals, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

First place finisher Marco Odermatt celebrates during a ceremony for the men's season downhill champion at the World Cup Finals, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

First place finisher Frederica Brignone celebrates during a trophy ceremony for the women's season downhill champion at the World Cup Finals, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

From left, second place finisher Cornelia Huetter, first place finisher Frederica Brignone, and third place finisher Sofia Goggia celebrate during a trophy ceremony for the women's season downhill champion at the World Cup Finals, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

First place finisher Frederica Brignone celebrates during a trophy ceremony for the women's season downhill champion at the World Cup Finals, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

First place finisher Frederica Brignone celebrates during a trophy ceremony for the women's season downhill champion at the World Cup Finals, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Women's first place finisher Frederica Brignone, left, and men's first place finisher Marco Odermatt pose for a photo during a trophy ceremony for the season downhill champions at the World Cup Finals, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Women's first place finisher Frederica Brignone, left, and men's first place finisher Marco Odermatt pose for a photo during a trophy ceremony for the season downhill champions at the World Cup Finals, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Italy's Federica Brignone skis during a women's downhill training run at the World Cup Finals, Friday, March 21, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt skis during a men's downhill training run at the World Cup Finals, Friday, March 21, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo by Robert F. Bukaty)

PARIS (AP) — French actor Gérard Depardieu went on trial Monday in Paris on charges of sexually assaulting two women on a movie set, in a case seen as a potential watershed for the #MeToo movement in France.

Depardieu, 76, is accused of having groped a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant director during filming in 2021 of “Les Volets Verts” (“The Green Shutters”).

The actor faces up to five years in prison and a 75,000 euros ($81,000) fine if convicted.

Depardieu, who denies any wrongdoing, told the judges that he was prepared to answer the court’s questions.

“We will be able to show in an impartial, objective and incontestable manner that all of the accusations are lies,” his attorney, Jérémie Assous, told journalists massed outside the courtroom.

“The truth will be obvious and the truth is on our side,” he said.

Prosecutors say Depardieu trapped the set dresser with his legs before groping her waist and breasts in front of witnesses. She says the actor also used obscene language and had to be pulled away by bodyguards.

The assistant director alleged that Depardieu groped her both on set and in the street.

The women sat side by side in court. The Associated Press doesn’t name people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they consent to being identified. Neither has in this case.

France has often been ambivalent — even resistant — toward the #MeToo movement. While Hollywood saw powerful men fall swiftly and publicly, the French film industry was slower to respond. Some dismissed #MeToo as an American export incompatible with French values, citing concerns over free expression and what they viewed as an erosion of flirtation culture.

At the time of the alleged assaults, Depardieu was already under formal investigation for rape. In 2018, actor Charlotte Arnould accused him of raping her at his home. That case is still active, and in August 2024, prosecutors requested that it go to trial.

The sexual assault trial that opened Monday is expected to last at least two days, but could be extended beyond Tuesday, if the chief judge wants more time. The trial was initially scheduled for October, but then postponed because of Depardieu’s health. A verdict is expected at a later date.

Depardieu grasped his lawyer's shoulder as he strode calmly into the courtroom. The actor has undergone a quadruple heart bypass and has diabetes, according to his lawyer. A court-appointed medical expert determined that he’s fit to stand trial, but recommended that the hearings don't exceed six hours, with a 15-minute pause and snack every three hours.

This is the first time that Depardieu, one of France’s most prominent film actors, has been tried over sexual assault allegations. He has previously been accused publicly or in formal complaints of misconduct by more than 20 women, but no other case has proceeded to court. Some were dropped because of a lack of evidence or the statute of limitations.

Carine Durrieu Diebolt, the lawyer for one of the two plaintiffs, said on France Info radio that her client “is calmly awaiting the outcome of the case ... because the case is solid.”

Durrieu Diebolt said that four additional women who say they have been sexually assaulted by Depardieu will speak at the trial.

In an open letter published in Le Figaro in October 2023, Depardieu wrote: “Never, but never, have I abused a woman.”

Campaigners for women's rights demonstrated outside the courthouse. A dozen performed a choreographed dance to techno music while chanting: “Sexist violence, complicit judicial system.”

Depardieu had dropped out of sight in recent months, his film career seemingly on hold. But he still has friends in the industry. Actors Vincent Perez and Fanny Ardant were among those who took seats on his side of the courtroom.

Thomas Adamson contributed to this report.

Actor Gerard Depardieu arrives to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Actor Gerard Depardieu arrives with his lawyer Jeremie Assous, right, to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Actor Gerard Depardieu, center, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives with his lawyer Jeremie Assous, right, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Actor Gerard Depardieu arrives with his lawyer Jeremie Assous, right, to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Actor Gerard Depardieu, center, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Actor Gerard Depardieu, center, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives with his lawyer Jeremie Assous, right, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Actor Gerard Depardieu, left, arrives with his lawyer Jeremie Assous to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Actor Gerard Depardieu arrives to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Actor Anouk Grinberg, left, enters the courtroom as actor Gerard Depardieu faces trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Actor Charlotte Arnould, center, arrives at the courtroom, while Depardieu, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Actor Anouk Grinberg answers reporters outside the courtroom before actor Gerard Depardieu faces trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Women demonstrate outside the palace of justice where actor Gerard Depardieu faces trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

A woman holds a poster reading "Rapists, we see you" outside the palace of justice where actor Gerard Depardieu faces trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Actor Gerard Depardieu, center, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives with his lawyer Jeremie Assous, right, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Actor Gerard Depardieu, center, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Actor Gerard Depardieu arrives to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

FILE - Actor Gerard Depardieu attends the premiere of the movie "Tour de France" in Paris, France, Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

FILE - Actor Gerard Depardieu addresses the media during the press conference for the film 'Saint Amour' at the 2016 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, on Feb. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Axel Schmidt, File)