Austria’s Julia Scheib showcased a dominant performance in the women’s World Cup giant slalom season opener held in Solden, Austria, thwarting American skier Paula Moltzan’s bid for her first career victory. Moltzan led a strong showing by the U.S. ski team, with Mikaela Shiffrin securing fourth place and Nina O’Brien finishing in sixth, accompanied by four more Americans in the top 20.
Scheib extended her substantial lead from the first run by 1.28 seconds to claim victory with a margin of 0.58, marking the first World Cup giant slalom win for the Austrian women’s team since Eva-Maria Brem’s triumph in Slovakia back in March 2016. Lara Gut-Behrami secured the third position, trailing by 1.11, while Shiffrin finished 1.42 seconds behind.
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,” after securing her first World Cup win, having finished third in the previous season’s opener. Moltzan, on the other hand, expressed her excitement at matching her career-best result, acknowledging the difference between training performance and race-day execution.
Shiffrin, the 2018 Olympic GS champion, made a strong comeback starting from the 20th position due to a drop in the GS rankings following her injury last season. She climbed to sixth after the initial run and further improved in the final run, demonstrating a confidence-boosting performance. Canada’s Val Grenier began her season with an 11th-place finish.
Despite ongoing post-traumatic stress disorder following a crash at Killington, Vermont, Shiffrin highlighted her progress towards full recovery, emphasizing the need to regain the race mentality. The Italian team faced setbacks as Sofia Goggia fell in the first run but escaped injury, with previous champions Federica Brignone and Marta Bassino sidelined due to injuries.
The competition continues with a men’s giant slalom event scheduled for the following day on the same hill.