The challenging slope of the Schlossberg mountain was the playground for a Giant Slalom Master Class by Mikaela Shiffrin in Lienz. Shiffrin took her first Giant Slalom win of the season thanks to a dominant first run and a tactical second run. She mastered the first run in icy slope conditions and led Sara Hector by 0.63 seconds and the rest by more than a second.
Federica Brignone finished in second place (+0.38). Sara Hector rounded up the podium in third place (+0.45).
The 28-year-old US skier has won a record 92 World Cup events, 22 of which were achieved in the Giant Slalom (a Women's record). Before today Shiffrin finished three times on the podium this season, all in third place.
"It was a challenge today. Most people felt terrible in the first run. I, on the other hand, felt great, it was crazy. In the second run, I tried to attack but I also didn't want to screw it up to reduce the gap in the Giant Slalom standings. I was in this dilemma. The victory is a big step for me. I feel better and better on Giant Slalom this season" Shiffrin said.
Federica Brignone struggled with her line in the first run and ended up losing 1.63 seconds to Shiffrin. "I felt terrible afterward. I didn’t feel my edges. I kept slipping and couldn't attack. The most positive thing was that I didn't get eliminated. I attacked full gas in the second run. To be honest, I didn’t believe in the podium today after the first run", Brignone said.
Federica Brignone won the two Giant Slaloms held in Tremblant. She became the oldest woman to win a World Cup Giant Slalom race. She also finished in second place in the Giant Slalom in Sölden. Thanks to today's second place, she took the lead in the Giant Slalom standings, 35 points ahead of former leader Lara Gut-Behrami.
Sara Hector returned to the podium in Lienz. Her last Top-3 was achieved in Åre on March 10, 2023. It is the 14th podium in the World Giant Slalom for the Olympic Champion in Beijing.
"I fought for the podium, which feels really cool. You always have to attack to finish on the podium. I don't know why I lost so much time in the lower section. I'll have to check it out, but I'm still very happy. It was really good conditions", Hector said.
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