Austrian skier Julia Scheib showcased her dominance in the women’s World Cup giant slalom season opener in Solden, Austria, preventing American skier Paula Moltzan from clinching her first career victory. Moltzan led a strong performance by the U.S. ski team, with Mikaela Shiffrin finishing fourth and Nina O’Brien sixth, along with four more Americans in the top 20.
Scheib extended her significant lead from the first run by 1.28 seconds to secure a victory margin of 0.58 seconds, marking the Austrian women’s team’s first World Cup GS win since Eva-Maria Brem’s triumph in Slovakia in March 2016. Lara Gut-Behrami secured third place, finishing 1.11 seconds behind Scheib, while Shiffrin followed closely at 1.42 seconds behind.
Expressing her relief, Scheib commented, “A load of thousands of kilos has dropped off my shoulders, I was so relieved to see the green light.” Despite feeling uneasy during the second run, Scheib acknowledged the normal pressure felt as the last racer at the start.
Moltzan expressed her excitement in achieving a career-best result, highlighting the difference between training and competition performance. Scheib surprised the favorites with a near-perfect run in the steep middle section, leading by 1.28 seconds after the first run.
Shiffrin, starting in 20th position due to a drop in GS rankings following her injury last season, showed improvement by finishing in sixth place after the first run and moving up two spots in the final run. Reflecting on her performance, Shiffrin emphasized her determination and satisfaction despite room for improvement.
Canada’s Val Grenier commenced her season with an 11th-place finish. Despite a crash by Sofia Goggia in the first run, the Italian team faced setbacks with injuries to last year’s winner Federica Brignone and former GS champion Marta Bassino.
Looking ahead, a men’s giant slalom event on the same hill is scheduled for Sunday.