Austria’s Julia Scheib showcased her prowess in the season-opening women’s World Cup giant slalom event held in Solden, Austria, preventing American skier Paula Moltzan from securing her first career victory. The U.S. ski team put up a strong performance with Mikaela Shiffrin finishing fourth and Nina O’Brien in sixth place, along with four other Americans making it to the top 20.
Scheib extended her impressive lead from the first run by 1.28 seconds, ultimately clinching the victory by 0.58 seconds and marking the first World Cup GS win for the Austrian women’s team since 2016. Lara Gut-Behrami secured the third spot, trailing 1.11 seconds behind, with Shiffrin finishing 1.42 seconds later.
Expressing her relief, Scheib stated, “A load of thousands of kilos has dropped off my shoulders, I was so relieved to see the green light,” highlighting her emotions after securing her first World Cup win. Moltzan, on the other hand, expressed her excitement at matching her career-best result, acknowledging the difference between training and competing in the actual race.
Shiffrin, the 2018 Olympic GS champion, made a remarkable comeback after starting 20th due to a drop in the GS rankings following a previous season injury. Despite not being fully satisfied with her performance, Shiffrin expressed contentment with her solid effort. Canada’s Val Grenier began her season with an 11th-place finish in the challenging race.
The event saw some setbacks, including Sofia Goggia’s fall in the first run, where she quickly recovered. The Italian team faced challenges with injuries sidelining last year’s race winner Federica Brignone and former GS champion Marta Bassino. The men’s giant slalom event is scheduled to take place on the same hill the following day.