Shiffrin, Brignone run away with run one in Aspen

ASPEN, Colo. – American star Mikaela Shiffrin sits in the lead after run one of giant slalom at the Aspen Winternational. Starting with bib 4 on a terrain-filled and icy track, Shiffrin skied composed and calculated as she set the pace time of 59.04 seconds, leading Soelden winner Frederica Brignone of Italy by a slim 0.11 seconds.

“I felt totally solid skiing,” Shiffrin said of her first run. “Hopefully I can just take that same mentality into the second run.”

Brignone, starting bib 1, came out of the gate firing but made a slight error over Strawpile and was bounced off her line. “A lot of the girls are attacking more over the knoll, but then not being able to absorb it quite so well,” Shiffrin said of her competitors. The American took a more conservative approach to Strawpile, and was able to attack in the following gates as opposed to other racers who struggled to recover.

Stitting a distant third, 0.96 seconds back, is Swiss skier Lara Gut, who also fell victim to the challenging terrain and blind knolls of the first run.

American superstar Lindsey Vonn made her first World Cup start of the season, but she was unable to finish after losing a ski midway down her run. She came into a left-footer leaning a bit inside and as she quickly transferred pressure to the outside ski, the binding released instantaneously. Vonn went for a slow slide into the nets, but she was not injured.

“To be honest, I don’t really know (what happened),” said Vonn. “It’s never happened to me in a race before, so to have it happen in Aspen is definitely disappointing.”

Canada’s Marie-Michelle Gagnon sits in 17th place after run one, and American independent racer Megan McJames finished in 39th, failing to qualify for the second run.

Unofficial First Run Results

1	4	6535237	SHIFFRIN Mikaela	1995	USA	59.04	59.04
2	1	297601	BRIGNONE Federica	1990	ITA	59.15	59.15	+0.11
3	13	516138	GUT Lara	1991	SUI	1:00.00	1:00.00	+0.96
4	9	196928	WORLEY Tessa	1989	FRA	1:00.04	1:00.04	+1.00
5	3	506399	HECTOR Sara	1992	SWE	1:00.11	1:00.11	+1.07
6	6	355050	WEIRATHER Tina	1989	LIE	1:00.28	1:00.28	+1.24
7	7	296729	FANCHINI Nadia	1986	ITA	1:00.37	1:00.37	+1.33
8	5	55898	BREM Eva-Maria	1988	AUT	1:00.41	1:00.41	+1.37
9	12	296259	MOELGG Manuela	1983	ITA	1:00.42	1:00.42	+1.38
10	24	297702	MARSAGLIA Francesca	1990	ITA	1:00.56	1:00.56	+1.52
11	15	505679	HANSDOTTER Frida	1985	SWE	1:00.86	1:00.86	+1.82
12	25	297910	CURTONI Elena	1991	ITA	1:01.01	1:01.01	+1.97
13	2	205218	REBENSBURG Viktoria	1989	GER	1:01.03	1:01.03	+1.99
14	17	425771	LOESETH Nina	1989	NOR	1:01.05	1:01.05	+2.01
15	23	196793	MARMOTTAN Anemone	1988	FRA	1:01.34	1:01.34	+2.30
16	11	296509	CURTONI Irene	1985	ITA	1:01.48	1:01.48	+2.44
17	28	105269	GAGNON Marie-Michele	1989	CAN	1:01.59	1:01.59	+2.55
18	8	505760	PIETILAE-HOLMNER Maria	1986	SWE	1:01.66	1:01.66	+2.62
19	21	197319	BAUD MUGNIER Adeline	1992	FRA	1:01.71	1:01.71	+2.67
19	19	299276	BASSINO Marta	1996	ITA	1:01.71	1:01.71	+2.67
21	42	56217	BRUNNER Stephanie	1994	AUT	1:01.82	1:01.82	+2.78
22	29	196726	BARTHET Anne-Sophie	1988	FRA	1:02.09	1:02.09	+3.05
23	37	306249	HASEGAWA Emi	1986	JPN	1:02.16	1:02.16	+3.12
24	51	516344	KOPP Rahel	1994	SUI	1:02.32	1:02.32	+3.28
25	40	206355	DUERR Lena	1991	GER	1:02.42	1:02.42	+3.38
26	32	56174	HAASER Ricarda	1993	AUT	1:02.55	1:02.55	+3.51
27	43	298323	GOGGIA Sofia	1992	ITA	1:02.57	1:02.57	+3.53
28	20	565268	DREV Ana	1985	SLO	1:02.65	1:02.65	+3.61
29	57	197616	ALPHAND Estelle	1995	FRA	1:02.68	1:02.68	+3.64
30	27	505886	KLING Kajsa	1988	SWE	1:02.76	1:02.76	+3.72
31	48	516394	SUTER Jasmina	1995	SUI	1:02.78	1:02.78	+3.74
32	18	425929	MOWINCKEL Ragnhild	1992	NOR	1:02.84	1:02.84	+3.80
33	46	206444	HOESL Simona	1992	GER	1:02.88	1:02.88	+3.84
34	45	516268	WILD Simone	1993	SUI	1:02.90	1:02.90	+3.86
35	49	55977	THALMANN Carmen	1989	AUT	1:02.96	1:02.96	+3.92
35	35	298694	PICHLER Karoline	1994	ITA	1:02.96	1:02.96	+3.92
37	65	155728	DUBOVSKA Martina	1992	CZE	1:03.01	1:03.01	+3.97
37	34	107387	CRAWFORD Candace	1994	CAN	1:03.01	1:03.01	+3.97
39	50	538284	MCJAMES Megan	1987	USA	1:03.06	1:03.06	+4.02
40	41	56328	ORTLIEB Nina	1996	AUT	1:03.14	1:03.14	+4.10
41	53	506350	EKLUND Nathalie	1992	SWE	1:03.23	1:03.23	+4.19
42	60	506341	WIKSTROEM Emelie	1992	SWE	1:03.57	1:03.57	+4.53
43	58	516284	GISIN Michelle	1993	SUI	1:03.71	1:03.71	+4.67
44	62	206487	WIESLER Maren	1993	GER	1:03.76	1:03.76	+4.72
45	64	565401	BUCIK Ana	1993	SLO	1:03.89	1:03.89	+4.85
46	61	56032	SCHILD Bernadette	1990	AUT	1:04.01	1:04.01	+4.97
47	47	506664	FJAELLSTROEM Magdalena	1995	SWE	1:04.30	1:04.30	+5.26
48	59	536481	SCHLEPER Sarah	1979	MEX	1:04.64	1:04.64	+5.60
Did not finish 1st run
	66	415205	HUDSON Piera	1996	NZL
	63	315187	IGNJATOVIC Nevena	1990	SRB
	56	56367	GALLHUBER Katharina	1997	AUT
	55	565373	ROBNIK Tina	1991	SLO
	54	56315	TRUPPE Katharina	1996	AUT
	52	197651	DIREZ Clara	1995	FRA
	44	197124	FRASSE SOMBET Coralie	1991	FRA
	39	107613	GRENIER Valerie	1996	CAN
	38	155699	PAULATHOVA Katerina	1993	CZE
	36	516280	HOLDENER Wendy	1993	SUI
	33	225525	TILLEY Alexandra	1993	GBR
	31	56128	HUETTER Cornelia	1992	AUT
	30	565331	LAVTAR Katarina	1988	SLO
	26	298124	AGNELLI Nicole	1992	ITA
	22	196725	BARIOZ Taina	1988	FRA
	16	537544	VONN Lindsey	1984	USA
	14	106825	PREFONTAINE Marie-Pier	1988	CAN
	10	55759	KIRCHGASSER Michaela	1985	AUT

About the Author: Sean Higgins

A Lake Tahoe native and University of Vermont graduate, Higgins was a member of the Catamounts' 2012 NCAA title winning squad and earned first team All-American honors in 2013. Prior to coming to Ski Racing Media, he coached U14s for the Squaw Valley Ski Team.