Federica Brignone’s streak of inconsistency in Giant Slalom is officially behind her. The Italian skiing star is now consistently at the top, securing yet another victory on Saturday in Sestriere. Coming from fourth place after the first run, Brignone surged ahead to claim the win, finishing ahead of Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami (+0.77s) and New Zealand’s Alice Robinson (+0.79s).
Brignone had a mixed start to the season, with two wins but three Did Not Finishes (DNFs) in her first five Giant Slalom events. However, she has now secured three GS victories in just 10 days, including a world championship gold last week in Saalbach.
“This was an amazing day,” Brignone said. “I fell three times in six GS races this season, so I really wanted to give my best today.”
Her victory was even more remarkable given that she had been battling the flu all week. Despite being unwell, she triumphed in Friday’s Giant Slalom before delivering another dominant performance on Saturday.
“I had more energy today,” she admitted. “I felt better both physically and mentally. I was able to warm up properly and recover between runs.”
Unlike her recent wins, Brignone had more work to do after the first run, sitting just outside the podium. Though only 0.12 seconds behind Robinson in a tightly contested field, she wasn’t entirely satisfied with her skiing. However, in the second run, while her competitors faltered, Brignone stepped up, delivering the fastest time of the round. Only Sofia Goggia (ITA) came close, climbing 13 places to finish fourth.
“I went all out in the second run,” Brignone said. “The conditions were tough, with reduced visibility, but I gave everything.”
At 34, Brignone continues to make history as the oldest woman to win a World Cup race. Saturday’s victory marked her seventh win across all disciplines this season, tying her with Tessa Worley and Annemarie Moser-Pröll for third on the all-time Giant Slalom World Cup winners list with 16 career GS victories.
Meanwhile, Lara Gut-Behrami, aiming to become the first woman to win 10 World Cup races in three different disciplines, had to settle for second place. Still, it was her best GS result of the season and her 97th career World Cup podium.
“Trying to be fast sometimes leads to mistakes,” Gut-Behrami said, referring to her crash on Friday. “I just had to reset and focus on my skiing.”
Alice Robinson, who had led after the first run for the second consecutive day, saw her chances slip away early in the second run due to a costly mistake.
“I wanted more today,” Robinson admitted. “I pushed too hard out of the gate, lost my speed on the flats, and that was it.”
Despite the error, Robinson still secured her sixth podium finish in seven Giant Slalom races this season, proving her remarkable consistency.
For Mikaela Shiffrin, however, consistency remains elusive. The American star, returning from injury, struggled in the first run, finishing 33rd 2.5 seconds behind Robinson failing to qualify for the second run for the first time since 2012.
While Shiffrin shifts her focus to Sunday’s Slalom, Brignone can finally enjoy some well-earned rest this time with two more World Cup trophies in hand.
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