Italy’s Federica Brignone won the Giant Slalom at Semmering, Austria, on Saturday, December 28. With her victory, the 34-year-old Italian broke her own record for oldest woman to win a World Cup race, claiming her 30th World Cup victory. Brignone maintained her poise through both runs, building a commanding lead in the morning and holding on to the lead on her second run despite an error near the finish. Her victory, by 0.57 seconds over Olympic champion Sara Hector from Sweden and 0.90 seconds over New Zealand’s Alice Robinson, marked her 14th career Giant Slalom win.
“I’m again the oldest winner—I’d like to beat my record once again,” Brignone said in an interview with FIS after the race. “I’m just trying to get better and better. Mikaela [Shiffrin], Lara [Gut-Behrami], and all the girls push me more every year, and I have to raise my limits.”
Robinson, who secured her second podium of the season, overcame nerves stemming from a previous race in Killington where she failed to finish the first run. “I was feeling quite frazzled,” the New Zealander admitted. “In the second run, I really charged and went for it. It wasn’t perfect, but the intent was there.”
Hector, who held the World Cup giant slalom leader’s red bib before the race, delivered a solid performance to claim her first podium in Semmering. Despite losing her lead in the standings to Brignone, Hector remained optimistic. “Brignone was skiing really well,” Hector said. “Now I have to ski faster.”
Lara Gut-Behrami from Switzerland, who was second after the first run, saw her chances of victory vanish after catching a gate early in her second run, ultimately finishing ninth. Her misstep opened the door for Robinson and Hector to secure podium spots.
Canada’s Valerie Grenier narrowly missed out on the podium, skiing into fourth place just 0.04 seconds behind Robinson.
Meanwhile, Paula Moltzan from Team USA delivered a standout performance, finishing fifth, just two hundredths of a second off the podium, matching her career-best result. Moltzan, skiing through the lingering pain of a dislocated shoulder suffered in Killington earlier this season, nearly captured her first World Cup giant slalom podium. Her clean and aggressive skiing put her in fourth after the first run, but a dramatic save at the final gate kept her in contention. Though she ultimately finished fifth, her determination did not go unnoticed. “I’m proud to have put down two clean, consistent runs,” Moltzan said. “I’m very happy with my result and look forward to carrying this momentum forward.”
Nina O’Brien also impressed, climbing from 17th to 15th after a strong second run, while AJ Hurt marked her return to competition by finishing 27th, earning her first World Cup points of the season. Katie Hensien, ranking 11th in the season standings, added to the team’s success with a 28th-place finish. Sisters Elisabeth and Mary Bocock made their World Cup debuts but did not advance to the second run.
The World Cup tour continues Sunday with the fourth slalom race of the season, where Moltzan will have another chance to shine.
Skier Yogi Globe Trotter
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