Federica Brignone wins the last Giant Slalom of the season at the World Cup Finals in Saalbach, her fourth one in Giant Slalom. The 33-year-old Italian skier finished with a lead of 1.36 seconds over Alice Robinson. Thea Louise Stjernesund rounded out the podium 1.67 seconds behind Brignone.
It's the third time Brignone won the Giant Slalom event at the World Cup Finals. She previously has won in Aspen in 2016-2017 and Méribel in 2021-2022.
Six wins and 12 podiums across three disciplines speaks about the consistency of the Italian racer this season.
Brignone became the first female skier representing Italy to achieve 27 World Cup victories. The only Italian to have won more than 27 World Cup events is ski legend Alberto Tomba (50).
"My focus for today was the victory, I gave everything for that. I made a big mistake in the second run and thought the victory was gone. The atmosphere was very good, I love that," Brignone said.
New Zealand’s Alice Robinson achieved today in Saalbach her fifth podium finish of the season.
"This year maybe I didn’t get a win but I felt like the consistency in my skiing has been the best it’s ever been, so I am really happy with that,” Robinson said.
Third-placed Thea Louise Stjernesund was delighted to see her progress confirmed with the best result of a consistent season.
"Podiums are what matters and I feel ready to get them," Stjernesund said.
Lara Gut-Behrami finished in 10th position, enough to secure the Giant Slalom and Overall Crystal Globes. It's her second Overall title and the first one in the Giant Slalom.
Gut-Behrami became the first woman representing Switzerland to win the Giant Slalom Crystal Globe since Sonja Nef in 2000-2001 and 2001-2002.
Switzerland claims both the male and female Giant Slalom titles in a single season for the first time since Vreni Schneider and Pirmin Zurbriggen claimed it in the 1988-1989 winter season.
"This Globe is completely different than the one I won in Super-G. That was always my favorite discipline. The Giant Slalom is the base, that's what I've always said. If you're at the forefront, you'll have it technically under control. And I always really wanted to achieve that, I always wanted to ski well. It always bothered me when I was called a speed skier. Because I wanted to be technically at a high level. I always said it would be wonderful to win the Giant Slalom Crystal Globe at some point. It’s a sign that you’re consistently among the best in the world. I'm proud that I managed to do that, (...) I knew if I was strong there, then I would be good in the other disciplines too. I didn't realize how much I wanted to win until yesterday. Normally I think about skiing, but today I only thought about the Crystal Globe. I wanted to win and I felt nervous. Those were the worst runs of the whole winter. But I thought to myself, I just have to get to the finish line somehow," Gut-Behrami said.
"I have come such a long way since 2016. I developed further as an athlete, I wanted to achieve success. I always put pressure on myself because I thought I had to get better. I realized that I had to do things differently and that my path had to be different. Since then I have had more in life, a different life. I'm driven by joy. I'm enjoying it a lot now, I'm enjoying myself again. I’ll take that with me for the rest of my life," she added.
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