Asa Vermette had many firsts during the 2026 DH World Cup race season. First season at the elite level. First elite World Cup podiums and first elite World Cup wins.
Oh, and don’t forget to mention the first American overall World Cup Champion in nearly a decade. Vermette’s 8th place finish at Lake Placid yesterday was enough to bring the overall title back to the United States.
Drama in the qualifying rounds
Vermette entered the final round of DH World Cup racing leading the overall standings. Only two racers could beat Vermette — Jordan Williams and Amaury Pierron, who held second and third, respectively. Vermette had a 96-point advantage over Williams, and 174 points over Pierron. For either man to overtake Vermette in overall points, they would need to do well at Lake Placid, and Vermette would need to do poorly.
Like not qualifying for the race, which nearly happened to Vermette. DH World Cup races have two qualifying rounds, with the top 20 from Q1 automatically moving to the final. Those outside the top 20 times have a second opportunity to qualify, with the 10 best Q2 times moving on to the finals.
A quick crash at the top of the track in Q1 put Vermette 12 seconds off pace and into 55th. Fortunately, he had a smooth Q2 run and qualified for the finals.
Perrion, third place in overall points heading into Lake Placid, didn’t have the same luck. The Frenchman, who has won an overall title in 2018 and 2022, crashed in both Q1 and Q2. Unfortunately, Pierron would not be challenging Vermette for the 2026 overall title.
Williams, who trailed Vermette by 96 points, skated into the finals in 16th place in Q1. He would be the 15th rider to drop onto the course on race day, while Vermette would be the 9th.
It came down to the final few racers
A first-place finish would obviously secure Vermette the overall victory. If Williams finished first, however, that wouldn’t necessarily secure him the overall title. A win would grab him 250 points, easily covering Vermette’s 96-point lead.
But if Vermette finished 4th or better, a World Cup win still wouldn’t land Williams enough points to beat Vermette. Essentially, Williams would need great results, and Vermette, well, would need a less-than-favorable finish.
And, as you might imagine, both men put down solid runs. Vermette, dropping 9th, crossed the line in 3:11:153, placing him in first for the time being. Williams would drop seven riders later, beating Vermette by about 0.6 seconds. And while he needed to beat Vermette’s time to even have a shot at the overall title, Williams would need some of the remaining racers to land between his time and Vermette’s — somewhere in that 0.6 seconds.
As the remaining 15 racers went, six of them needed to fall between Williams’ and Vermette’s times for the points to lean in Williams’ favor. Only one did, and Williams ultimately grabbed 125 points for a 6th-place finish, while Vermette added 95 more for an 8th-place finish.
Vermette finished the 2026 World Cup DH season with 1,442 points, securing the overall points title. He would be only the second American to do so (Aaron Gwin was the first), and the second racer of any nationality to do so in his rookie season (Nicolas Vouilloz was the first). Vermette is also the youngest racer (19) to win the overall title.
Ladies and gentlemen, Asa Vermette is your 2026 DH World Cup Champion.
Hopefully this means big things for American racing
Europe has dominated World Cup racing for quite a while. Not only have the vast majority of World Cup races been held in European countries, but European racers have been at the top for quite a while. Since 2010, a European has held the overall title nine times.
Canadian racers Jackson Goldstone and Stevie Smith both have an overall title, with Goldstone winning last year and Smith in 2013. The only American to win the overall title was Vermette’s teammate Aaron Gwin, who won it five times (2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, and 2017).
Nearly a decade later, the United States once again sits at the top, hopefully signaling a comeback for U.S. downhill racing. And much (if not all) of that comeback is due to the Frameworks TRP racing team Vermette and Gwin ride for. Gwin took the top spot a few weeks ago at the U.S. Open in Deer Valley, Utah, and brings years of experience to the young team. Vermette’s notable races this season included two World Cup wins and 2nd-, 3rd-, and 4th-place finishes.
Vermette and Gwin’s teammate, Anna Newkirk, also stood on top of a World Cup podium this season, something an American woman hadn’t done in over two decades. She also had five other top-10 finishes, including 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-place finishes, earning enough points for sixth overall in the World Cup.
While we’re disappointed that World Cup racing is over for the year, we’re excited to see what 2027 has in store.
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