ASSOCIATED PRESS “She did win a gold before, in combined, but that’s not the same. The giant slalom is the most important discipline,” Quario said and added, jokingly: “For me, today, she can quit.” ‘This is very important to her’ “This was my dream, to be a gold medalist in GS. I have been dreaming […]
“She did win a gold before, in combined, but that’s not the same. The giant slalom is the most important discipline,” Quario said and added, jokingly: “For me, today, she can quit.”
‘This is very important to her’
“This was my dream, to be a gold medalist in GS. I have been dreaming of this moment for many, many years. I was always second,” said Brignone, who won GS silver at the worlds in 2011 and 2023. “This is just one of the best days of my life.”
“This is very important to her,” said Quario, a two-time Olympian who won four World Cup slaloms in the 1970s and 80s.
After finishing, she covered her face with both hands when she saw she won. Then Robinson and Moltzan embraced her in the finish area.
The next event at the worlds is the men’s giant slalom on Friday.
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She kept her cool charging down the Schneekristall course again with another near-flawless run.
Robinson led the race after a strong final run, but acknowledged Brignone’s dominance.
An overall championship, 32 races, and season titles in three different disciplines on the World Cup.
The Italian seized the gold medal in style by dominating both runs and winning by a massive margin of 0.90 seconds.
Still, Federica Brignone always felt that one prize was missing from her list of achievements.
She leads the overall standings and could land that title for a second time after 2020; she won the first two downhills of her career last month; and she has been extending her record as the oldest race winner five times.
Brignone’s second medal from these worlds after silver in super-G a week ago is capping what’s turning out to be the strongest of her 18 seasons on the World Cup circuit.
“There has always been a very high level in women’s skiing, as far as my generation is concerned, then Shiffrin also arrived, the strongest of all,” said Brignone, the first Italian winner of GS gold at the worlds since Deborah Compagnoni won back-to-back titles in 1996-97.
Shiffrin paired with downhiller Breezy Johnson and skied the slalom portion to win the team combined event Tuesday but wasn’t physically ready to ski the GS. She planned to start in Saturday’s slalom.
At 34 years, 7 months, Brignone has also become the oldest female medalist at the worlds. Lindsey Vonn was four months younger when she won downhill bronze in 2019.
Family was with Brignone for the big moment: Her younger brother, Davide, who is her coach; and her mother, former skier Maria Rosa Quario, who watched the race in the stands and jumped for joy when her daughter crossed the line in first.
Defending champion Mikaela Shiffrin sat out the event because she said she was not ready yet to race giant slalom again following a crash in November.
And Paula Moltzan took bronze for the American’s first individual medal from a major event. She edged fourth-placed Thea Louise Stjernesund of Norway by one-hundredth of a second.
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“Federica was just amazing, while I thought I had done something amazing,” Robinson said. “It’s so awesome in Alpine skiing to bring a country like New Zealand to the medal table, it’s so cool and I’m really proud and excited.”
Her daughter, though, has other plans than retiring.
Holding a comprehensive lead from the first run, Brignone had a member of the Italian coaching staff put some snow inside the back of her shirt before stepping into the start gate for her final run, wearing her helmet with a tiger design.
“It’s been kind of a rollercoaster of a season, with results and with emotions,” said Moltzan, whose parents were among the 11,000 spectators.
Robinson earns a New Zealand first
“Achieving such a result, with all eyes on it, is really difficult, and today I am really satisfied.”
Alice Robinson’s silver was New Zealand’s first medal in worlds history.
SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM, Austria — Seven medals from major skiing events, including a world title in Alpine combined and Olympic silver and bronze in giant slalom.
Vonn, who came out of retirement after nearly six years at age 40 this season with a new titanium knee, doesn’t race in giant slalom anymore.
Until Thursday, when the Italian crowned probably the best season of her storied career by finally snatching the win she’s always wanted: The world championship in giant slalom.
“For it all to kind of play out on the really big stage is amazing. I can’t believe I was on the right side of the hundredth today.”
