Brignone Brings It On The World Cup

Federica Brignone has started in 154 World Cups, earned 19 podium finishes, and won five races. In 2016-17 alone, she won three World Cup races and was one of the powerhouse athletes on the Italian women’s team that contributed to the ladies’ Nations Cup victory. She ended the season ranked fifth in the World Cup overall standings.

“Even if the beginning of the season was not what I was hoping for, from mid-January on I was really satisfied with my results in all the events,” Brignone recalls. “After my 15-16 season, which was my best up to then, I was looking forward and had a positive feeling for the next season. So, I was surprised that 16-17 didn’t start that well for me. But luckily in the end, the results are what I worked for all summer and what I was hoping for.”

One of the highlights of the season for the Italian team was the giant slalom podium sweep at World Cup Finals in Aspen. Brignone took the win while Sofia Goggia and Marta Bassino shared the spotlight in second and third position.

“It was great, very emotional and fun! To share your happiness with others is an intense sensation. I think I’ll remember that day for my entire life. We showed that we are a strong team, that the technique is important and that we are working hard,” reflects Brignone.

The Italian women were undeniably the most dominant team in giant slalom last season, consistently pushing each other to new heights from Soelden onward.

“I’m so happy to be part of this strong team,” Brignone shares. “Our secret? We set good examples for each other. When you have several girls skiing fast, you have to push more and more every day to keep up the level. [To have] so many strong girls in competition is very positive for us, it’s what makes us even better.”

Image Credit: GEPA

The Italian also took a first-place finish in the alpine combined at Crans Montana, Switzerland. With that victory, Brignone sealed her fate as a World Cup winner in three different disciplines. She enjoys the unique opportunities that come with being a multi-event skier.

“I love skiing and I love to race, so for me doing many disciplines means doing a lot of training, a lot of races and more possibilities to get good results,” she says. “I’m never bored; training is always challenging and different.”

After her best season ever, Brignone took some well-deserved time off to hit the beach in Indonesia.

“After my surfing and recharging vacation, I was really ready to start my dryland training,” she explains. “I’m an active, nonstop girl, so I love to train, keep fit, give my best every day. Those big efforts are really satisfying, I prefer this than rest normally. Besides, I like summer because I get to stay home a little more, I have more time with friends and family and I have the chance to train with my super training group. Raffaella Brutto (snowboard cross athlete), Martina Perruchon (up-and-coming slalom athlete), and [I] do our dryland together that makes efforts less hard.”

Training with Brutto and Perruchon along with on-snow sessions starting in July will put Brignone on track for her goals next season.

“My goals? Win. It’s easy to say but hard to accomplish. The Olympics are important, but first I have to qualify for them, so win in the internal race, which is not so easy with my teammates. My second biggest dream and goal is a crystal globe.”

Standing between Brignone and her crystal globe is – by her admission – finding more consistency throughout the season.

“I’m doing too many mistakes,” she explains. “I’m falling or skiing out in three or four GSs per season. [Scoring] zero points [so] many times hurts, and those points are missing at the end of the season for the final ranking. I’m either all-in, which is risky, or I’m not confident enough that I can grab a podium placement, which holds me back. This is what I have to improve, and I am working on this really hard.”

Time will tell if Brignone can take last year’s momentum into the Olympic season which kicks off at the end of October.