GEPA pictures

Sunday, March 17th, the only way Italian Federica Brignone could overtake Lara Gut-Behrami and win the GS title was to win and have Gut-Behrami finish outside the top 15. Delivering fantastic skiing, Brignone attacked both runs at her limit and won the race by an amazing (+1.36). For the fourth time this season, she became the oldest woman to win. However, because Gut-Behrami finished tenth, Brignone fell 21 points short of earning her second World Cup GS title.

After the race commentator Steve Porino offered a insightful Brignone quote. “Risk more than others think is safe. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible.”

“And then I woke up and I saw the crowd and saw the first place and it was just amazing.”

“I can’t really have a regret. The only regret is maybe January when I had too many mistakes. I was trying to push too hard,” she said. “Lara was just better than me. I had an amazing season.”

Commenting on her run on the limit Brignone said, “I tried to push and recover and just start from zero and continue the run as if nothing had happened,”

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Even though her skiing was well below her usual level, Gut-Behrami earned two titles today. It was her first GS title and her second overall. She apologized for her nervous skiing but said a globe was a perfect end to her season. She provided terrific entertainment during the season and had no reason to apologize.

“I was really nervous today because I really wanted to win that. I skied so bad, I was just so nervous so I am not so proud of that but in the end for once, with 32 (years old) I learned that sometimes you just have to stay safe, try to cross the finish the line,” Gut-Behrami said. “It’s unbelievable. I mean GS has always been so important to me and to win this Globe, it’s just unbelievable,” 

Completing the podium

New Zealand’s Alice Robinson didn’t win this season, but today she finished second for the fourth time. Altogether, she earned five podiums and finished the season ranked 4th.

“This year maybe I didn’t get a win but I felt like the consistency in my skiing has been the best it’s ever been, so I am really happy with that,” Robinson said

Norwegian Thea Louise Stjernesund finished third in the exciting Saalbach GS battle. It was only the second GS podium of her career, and for the second time in two seasons, she ended her World Cup GS season on the steps.

“Podiums is what matters and I feel ready to get them,” Louise Stjernesund said.

The story of the race

With the approval of the large crowd, Austrian women were first and second, with five skiers remaining at the start. The leader was Stephanie Brunner, the fastest during the second run, who had been impressively moving up the ranks. The first of the final five was Norwegian 31-year-old retiring athlete Ragnhild Mowinckel, but she crossed in fourth. The next to ski was her teammate Mina Fuerst Holtmann, but she also crossed in fourth. Brunner moved up a total of eight positions to finish fourth.

With three remaining, Austrians Brunner and Julia Scheib were still in first and second place, and Stifel US Ski Team’s Paula Moltzan was third. However, the first of the final three was three-time GS winner Alice Robinson of New Zealand, and she assumed the lead skiing with her trademark power. That knocked Moltzan off the podium. The next was the final Norwegian, Thea Louise Stjernesund, who also crossed into 2nd, guaranteeing her first podium since last season’s finals, knocking Scheib out of the top 3. That left only Brignone, undeniably the best skier of the day.

The racer who took the most advantage starting early in the warm salted snow was 17-year-old Italian Lara Colturi, skiing for Albania. She started second in the afternoon and used the clean course to take the lead, which she held for the following four racers. However, using the fourth fastest second run time, she moved up seven positions to finish 11th and end the season scoring World Cup points. She also moved up the season’s GS ranks three positions to finish 22nd.

North Americans

Stifel’s Paula Moltzan started the second run with the determination of a champion. Skiing well throughout the course, Moltzan crossed the finish line with a (0.96) advantage. After finishing the first run 13th, she ended the day a career-best 6th and achieved a season GS rank of 11th.

Canadian Britt Richardson was the first North American woman to complete her second run. She skied well, and when she crossed the finish, she was ranked second. She ended the day in 18th and did not score World Cup points in her first World Cup finals. However, the 20-year-old is a racer many expect to be regularly among the top ten in the future.

Stifel US Ski Team’s AJ Hurt also skied in her first World Cup finals. Today, Hurt’s relentless aggression created issues during both runs and unfortunately, she was also unable to finish among the points.

The Saalbach GS race witnessed thrilling performances, with Italian Federica Brignone showcasing exceptional skiing prowess winning but falling short of the title. Despite this, Lara Gut-Behrami claimed two title victories, adding to her list of achievements. Rising stars like Alice Robinson and Thea Louise Stjernesund also made their mark, setting the stage for an exciting future in women’s alpine skiing.

Final results and analysis of the fastest three and North Americans

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Analysis of the fastest three and North Americans