ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP. By Peter Lange, Skiracing.com, December 28th, 2023

When Stifel US Ski Team’s Mikaela Shiffrin is at the top of her game, she is nearly impossible to beat. She left the second run start with a (-1.63) advantage and skied powerfully but used a more conservative line. Brilliantly taking full advantage of the wisdom of a veteran champion. She wins her fourth World Cup of the season covering three disciplines. It is her career 92nd and her 22nd GS victory. All of that is a product of decades of amazing focus and dedication. After the first run display of excellence, there was little doubt about who was skiing the fastest. However, Shiffrin had to deliver, and she did.

“The second run was great skiing with a little bit more space,” said Shiffrin, after losing time to Brignone during the final run. “Federica, a few more gates and she would have probably taken it. So, that’s the next thing to learn for the coming races: you have to push in the second run.

“I was like, now I want to win it, but I also really don’t want to mess it up; that would be so disappointing. So, it was a little back and forth in my thoughts,” Shiffrin said about trying to maintain her first-run lead. “Every race, I feel more comfortable and I think I have a really good focus with my skiing that can be simple. I can hopefully repeat it in more and more races, so I’m super happy with the progress.

As usual, the podium was determined by the fastest from the first run. The first of this elite group to attack the afternoon course was Canada’s Valerie Grenier. Ranked 8th after the first run, Grenier crossed the finish with the lead and then watched France’s Clara Direz unable to finish. However, the next to ski has won two World Cup GSs this season, Italy’s Federica Brignone. Benefiting from the fastest second run, Brignone took the lead and watched the rest of the racers from the leader’s throne.

Both women witnessed New Zealand’s Alice Robinson unable to match her first run skill and tumble down the leaderboard. Next to ski was the other woman who had won two of the season’s GS races. However, Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami also finished well off the pace. That left just three women in the start yet to compete. When Norway’s Ragnhild Mowinckel could not surpass the two, Brignone knew she had earned a podium. But the fastest two from the first run had yet to ski. However, Sweden’s Sara Hector could not match Brignone and the Italian knew she would be no worse than second. But the story had not yet been written. The last skier to descend was Shiffrin.

“After the first run, I never thought it was possible to be on the podium. Being second, it’s just amazing,” said Brignone, who was typically light on her skis, barely making a mark on the Austrian piste to record the fastest time of the afternoon.

We changed a little bit, something with my service guy in the second run (and) the snow changed a little bit (but) my attitude was different. This was the big thing.”

The impressive podium included Shiffrin 1st, Brignone 2nd, and Hector 3rd. The talented Canadian Grenier moved up four positions and finished 4th.

By Peter Lange
Skiracing.com