Julia Scheib, an Austrian skier, showcased her dominance in the women’s World Cup giant slalom season opener in Solden, Austria, preventing Paula Moltzan from securing her first career victory. The U.S. ski team put on a strong performance with Mikaela Shiffrin finishing fourth and Nina O’Brien in sixth place, alongside four other Americans in the top 20 positions.
Scheib extended her significant lead from the first run by 1.28 seconds to clinch the victory by 0.58 seconds, marking the first World Cup GS win for the Austrian women’s team since Eva-Maria Brem’s triumph in 2016. Lara Gut-Behrami secured the third spot, trailing Scheib by 1.11 seconds, with Shiffrin finishing 1.42 seconds behind.
Expressing her relief and joy, Scheib mentioned that winning the race lifted a huge weight off her shoulders, especially after her previous third-place finish in the season opener last year. Despite feeling more comfortable during the first run, she admitted that the second run was challenging, which is expected when you are the final racer waiting at the start.
Moltzan expressed her excitement at matching her career-best result, highlighting the difference between training performance and race execution in skiing. Scheib surprised the favorites with her exceptional performance in the first run, maintaining a near-perfect race line in the steep middle section of the course.
Shiffrin, the 2018 Olympic GS champion with 22 World Cup wins in the discipline, started in 20th place due to lower GS rankings following her injury layoff last season. She made a commendable climb to finish in sixth place overall, citing determination and a solid effort in her performance.
Canada’s Val Grenier began her season with an 11th-place finish, narrowly missing a top-10 position. Shiffrin, recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder after a previous crash, mentioned her ongoing journey to regain full race mentality and form.
In the men’s category, a giant slalom event is set to take place on the same hill the following day.