SEMMERING, Austria — Federica Brignone secured her lead from the first run at the women’s World Cup giant slalom on Saturday, making history as the first Italian to win the Semmering event in 22 years.
Brignone had some leeway for a minor error near the finish of her second run but still triumphed over Olympic giant slalom champion Sara Hector, finishing 0.57 seconds ahead. New Zealand’s Alice Robinson came in third, trailing Brignone by nine-tenths of a second.
“It was a challenging second run, but the slope was fantastic,” stated Brignone, who celebrated her 14th career victory in giant slalom, having never previously reached the podium in Semmering. “I was determined to win, and I’m thrilled. The race was tough, yet I felt great, eager to compete, and remained composed.”
With Mikaela Shiffrin sidelined due to injury, Paula Moltzan emerged as the leading American racer, finishing in fifth place, only 1.11 seconds behind Brignone, matching her best result in giant slalom. Lindsey Vonn made her return to World Cup racing in Switzerland last week, although she is focusing solely on speed events, specifically downhill and super-G.
Before Saturday, no Italian skier had claimed victory in Semmering since Karen Putzer in 2002. The Semmering race occurs biennially. At the age of 34 years and five months, Brignone has set a record as the oldest winner in women’s World Cup history, a title she already held.
“I would love to further my record, perhaps even this season,” she expressed. “This win feels like a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s gift!”
Brignone skillfully navigated a tricky section near the end of the Zauberberg course, where Italian coach Giorgio Pavoni had strategically set up the gates for the first run. “The course is wonderful, well-timed, and has plenty of turns,” added Brignone, who is also the 2022 Olympic silver medalist and 2011 world champion in this discipline.
Defending overall champion Lara Gut-Behrami, who was second after the opening run, encountered difficulties in her second run when she bumped into a gate with her left arm, resulting in her dropping to ninth place. Brignone has won four out of the last five giant slaloms and currently leads the discipline standings for the season, having overtaken Hector.
Shiffrin is also set to miss the slalom event scheduled for Sunday at the same location. The timeline for her return remains uncertain after she underwent abdominal surgery to address an injury sustained from a giant slalom crash on November 30 in Killington, Vermont. Shiffrin, who has claimed victory in Semmering’s giant slalom four times—including both races in 2022—holds the record for the most World Cup wins overall (99) and in giant slalom (22).
Additionally, Petra Vlhova, the former overall champion from Slovakia and the 2020 Semmering race winner, will not compete as she continues to recover from knee surgery setbacks.
