Brigitte Oertli, assuming leadership by default in...

Brigitte Oertli, assuming leadership by default in the absence of three injured Swiss teammates, won a weather-delayed World Cup women’s downhill at Aspen, Colo., to move into first place in the overall standings.

Oertli, 25, the silver medalist in both the downhill and combined at the Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, was clocked in 1 minute 22.83 seconds down a course that was icier than it was on Friday, when the race was stopped because of heavy snow and poor visibility after 11 skiers had run.

Three Swiss skiers--Maria Walliser, Vreni Schneider and Beatrice Gafner--suffered knee injuries when they crashed Friday.

It was Oertli’s first downhill victory in seven seasons of World Cup racing. On Jan. 18, she earned her first World Cup victory, in a slalom. But she has been runner-up 11 times.

West Germany’s Regine Moesenlechner was second in 1:23.06, and Switzerland’s Heidi Zeller was third in 1:23.21.