New Zealand’s Alice Robinson achieved a historic victory in the World Cup giant slalom event at Copper Mountain, Colorado, setting a new record. Robinson’s impressive performance, clocking in at one minute 58.91 seconds over two runs, marked her fifth career win, making her the most successful female World Cup champion from a non-European or North American country, as confirmed by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation. This victory allowed her to surpass compatriot Claudia Riegler in this achievement.
Expressing her pride in representing New Zealand in a predominantly North American and European-dominated sport like ski racing, Robinson highlighted the significance of her win. Leading by 29-100ths of a second after the initial run, Robinson maintained her advantage with an exceptional second run at an altitude of 3,000 meters (9,850 feet) in Colorado.
Following Robinson on the podium were Julia Scheib from Austria in second place with a time of 1:59.87 and Norway’s Louise Stjernesund in third place with a time of 1:59.99.
Unfortunately, the Canadian skiers faced challenges in this event, failing to secure top 10 positions. Valérie Grenier from Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, finished 13th with a time of 2:00.98, expressing disappointment in her performance despite feeling confident leading up to the race. Similarly, Britt Richardson from Canmore, Alberta, placed 16th after an initial 10th position finish in the first run.
Additionally, three Canadian skiers did not complete the event, with Arianne Forget from Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, finishing 42nd, and Justine Lamontagne from St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Quebec, along with Cassidy Gray from Panorama, British Columbia, failing to finish the first run.
Looking ahead, Mont-Tremblant is set to host consecutive women’s World Cup giant slalom events on December 6 and 7.