Mikaela Shiffrin returned to the giant slalom podium on Saturday, finishing third in the final World Cup GS before the Milan Cortina Olympics, marking her first top-three result in the discipline in two years. The race in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czechia, was won by Sweden’s Sara Hector, the reigning Olympic champion, who converted her first-run lead into her first victory since January 2025.
Hector praised the depth of competition after the race, noting the strength of the field and expressing satisfaction at holding on for the win. She edged Shiffrin by 0.23 seconds, while American Paula Moltzan finished second, just 0.18 behind Hector, completing a strong showing for the US team.
Shiffrin, the 2018 Olympic GS gold medalist and the most successful woman in World Cup giant slalom history with 22 career wins, had endured a long stretch without a podium finish in the discipline. Her last top-three result came in January 2024 in Slovakia. Shortly after that race, she crashed during a downhill on the Olympic course, sidelining her from GS competition until the start of the 2024–25 season.
Her comeback was further complicated by a serious crash at her home giant slalom in Killington, Vermont, in November 2024. That incident left her with a puncture wound to her abdomen, significant damage to her oblique muscles, and lingering post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite those setbacks, Shiffrin posted three fourth-place finishes this season before finally breaking through with Saturday’s podium, just weeks ahead of the Olympic GS in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Moltzan, still seeking her first World Cup victory, secured her third podium finish of the season. The United States placed four skiers in the top eight, with Nina O’Brien finishing fifth and AJ Hurt eighth.
Hector narrowly led Switzerland’s Camille Rast after the opening run, with Austria’s Julia Scheib in third. In the final run, Rast slipped to fourth, while Scheib skied out.
Overall World Cup champion Federica Brignone and her Italian teammate Sofia Goggia opted not to compete, choosing instead to prepare for upcoming speed events in Switzerland ahead of their home Olympics. A slalom race is scheduled at the same venue on Sunday.
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