SESTRIERE, Italy – Mikaela Shiffrin concluded the first run of a World Cup giant slalom event on Friday, trailing the leader by 2.89 seconds. This marked her return to the giant slalom discipline after a nearly 12-week absence.
The American skier, who holds the record with 99 World Cup victories, last raced in giant slalom but was sidelined due to a severe injury sustained from a crash in Killington, Vermont, which resulted in damage to her oblique muscles and a serious puncture wound. On social media, just prior to the race, Shiffrin expressed, “I do not yet feel entirely myself… but I do feel enough of myself to be here… and for now, that is enough.”
In pristine weather conditions, New Zealand’s Alice Robinson clocked the fastest time, finishing ahead of Italy’s Federica Brignone by 0.19 seconds. Brignone claimed the gold medal in giant slalom at the world championships just last week but had been ill in the days leading up to Friday’s competition. American Paula Moltzan, who secured a bronze medal at the championships, stood in third place but had 0.83 seconds to close in on the second run.
Lara Gut-Behrami, the defending overall champion, unfortunately skied out near the end of her run, resulting in her disqualification for the day. This race came soon after the world championships, where Shiffrin collaborated with downhill world champion Breezy Johnson to secure a victory in the team combined event, and finished fifth in the slalom. However, she opted out of the giant slalom event due to feelings akin to “PTSD.”
Due to her injury hiatus, Shiffrin has slipped to the 11th position in the rankings that dictate the starting order for World Cup giant slalom races, losing her spot among the elite seven skiers who earn the most advantageous starting numbers. Consequently, she was assigned bib No. 8 for the day’s event, marking just her third giant slalom start in the past 13 months.
Following a knee injury from a downhill crash in January 2024, Shiffrin has limited her competition to primarily slalom events for the remaining season. Earlier this season, she managed a fifth-place finish at the opening giant slalom in Austria in October before her injury in Killington.
Over her career, Shiffrin has achieved an impressive 22 giant slalom victories, which is a record for women, and she clinched the season discipline title in both 2019 and 2023. The Friday race served as a substitute for a previously canceled giant slalom scheduled in Tremblant, Quebec, in December, with another giant slalom lined up for Saturday, followed by a slalom on Sunday.
