SESTRIERE, Italy — In a remarkable comeback, Federica Brignone triumphed in the first World Cup giant slalom event, just days after earning gold at the Alpine skiing world championships. She secured her victory despite a recent illness, while Mikaela Shiffrin concluded her race in 25th place, marking her first giant slalom in nearly 12 weeks.
Brignone bested New Zealand’s Alice Robinson by a margin of 0.40 seconds. Just a week prior, the two athletes had also claimed the top two spots in the giant slalom at the world championships, with Robinson currently leading the discipline rankings.
“I’m feeling better since yesterday and I knew I could perform well in both runs,” Brignone shared, her voice slightly raspy as she noted her time spent recovering in bed over the previous six days.
During her runs, Brignone observed, “In the first run, I didn’t ski as well as I could have on the flats. In the second run, I aimed to maintain a higher rhythm before reaching those flat sections, focusing on refining every single turn.” Celebrating her victory, she was accompanied by Italian skiing legend Alberto Tomba at the awards ceremony.
Shiffrin, who had fallen behind by 2.89 seconds in her first run, ultimately finished 4.65 seconds off the lead. Reflecting on her performance, she stated, “The big step today was that I pushed out of the gate. It’s a significant move considering I hadn’t raced at all recently.” She conveyed that although she’s accustomed to competing for top finishes, it felt different this time around.
Having sustained injuries, including severe muscle trauma and a deep puncture during a crash in November in Killington, Vermont, Shiffrin was returning after a substantial hiatus from giant slalom racing. On social media, she revealed, “I don’t feel entirely like myself yet, but enough to be here is what matters for now.”
Brignone and Robinson clearly led the competition, with Thea Louise Stjernesund from Norway trailing in third place, coming in 1.57 seconds later. Stjernesund narrowly missed a medal at the world championships, finishing just one-hundredth of a second behind Paula Moltzan of the United States.
During the race, Moltzan initially finished third after the first run but fell to sixth place after misjudging a left turn on her second run. Other American competitors also excelled, with Nina O’Brien securing eighth, AJ Hurt in 12th, and Katie Hensien in 21st, all finishing ahead of Shiffrin.
Lara Gut-Behrami, the reigning overall champion, encountered trouble and skied off course near the end of her first run. This mishap widened the gap between her and Brignone in the overall standings from 70 to 170 points.
At the recent world championships, Shiffrin and downhill world champion Breezy Johnson collaborated to secure the team combined win, while Shiffrin finished fifth in slalom, opting out of giant slalom due to “PTSD-esque” concerns.
Shiffrin commented on her complex thought process regarding racing, stating, “There’s a strategy behind ski racing, and it does matter.” Due to her injury, she’s dropped to 11th place in ranking, affecting her start order for World Cup giant slalom races.
“Moving forward, my goal for the remainder of the season is to fight for points that can help me maintain a position in the top 30 for giant slalom. This contrasts sharply with my previous years of vying for podium spots, but I’m at peace with where I am right now,” Shiffrin said, acknowledging her bib number of 8 for Friday’s race, which marked only her third giant slalom start in over a year.
Since sustaining a knee injury in January 2024, Shiffrin has limited her schedule to slalom events for the rest of the 2023-24 season. Earlier this season, she secured a fifth-place finish in the opening giant slalom event in Austria before her setback in Killington.
With her impressive history, Shiffrin has achieved a record 22 giant slalom victories and clinched the season discipline title in both 2019 and 2023. The event on Friday served as a rescheduled giant slalom that was previously canceled in Tremblant, Quebec, with another giant slalom race scheduled for Saturday, followed by a slalom competition on Sunday.
Brignone Claims Victory as Shiffrin Shows Progress with 25th Place Finish in First GS Race Post-Injury
