Featured Image: Petra Vlhova (SVK) racing giant slalom in Kranjska Gora. Photo: GEPA pictures/ Wolfgang Grebien

Petra Vlhová of Slovakia came out of the start gate attacking panel-to-panel. Trusting the ski through the challenging conditions, she confidently pushed her way into the first-place position. Vlhová came through the finish slightly ahead (-0.02) of Brignone’s set pace of 56.57.

The Golden Fox giant slalom World Cup marks the sixth GS for the women in the 2024 season. This morning in Kranjska Gora, the field had to fight through unfortunate weather conditions to find the leaderboard. With rain all night, a torrential downpour during the inspection, and variable snow conditions down the entire hill, the women had to trust their outside ski in the first run.

The current title leader in GS, Federica Brignone, kicked out of the start looking confident. Brignone displayed composure in her skiing, seeming unaffected by the unpredictable snow and weather conditions. Despite her impressive speed, she did not hold the top position for an extended period. Nevertheless, the first run podium was fiercely contested, with a mere 0.15-second gap separating the top three racers.

Lara Gut-Behrami rounded out the first run podium. Her speedy run pushed Valérie Grenier from Alpine Canada Alpin into 4th-place position heading into the second run. Despite Grenier’s slight mistake in the middle section of the course, she still demonstrated potential for claiming the first position, which she will carry into the upcoming run.

Mikaela Shiffrin, who exhibited exceptional performance in the technical races in Lienz the previous week, displayed a slightly cautious skiing approach during the initial run of the day. The fluctuating conditions compelled her to slightly back off the ski, resulting in a time +0.98 seconds slower than Vlhová.

Paula Moltzan produced speed at the top of the course, displaying great movement and confidence in the ski. Attacking panel-to-panel, Moltzan came down in 10th place, 1.22 behind the lead and only 0.24 behind Shiffrin.

AJ Hurt had grit throughout the course, searching for speed around every gate. Her confidence has continued to grow after each World Cup race this season. After the first run, she sits in 20th, which could prove to be a great starting position for the Stifel US Ski Team athlete for the second run.

Britt Richardson and Cassidy Gray, teammates of Alpine Canada Alpin, secured positions in the top 30, with Richardson finishing 21st and Gray finishing 26th. Their early start in the second run will assist them in moving up in the rankings.

Sarah Bennett, starting bib-56 showed unwavering determination as she fought her way through the tough terrain. Unfortunately, her first run did not put her into the top 30.

An early bib number proved advantageous this morning because of the changing conditions. The snow began to wither away as more racers came down the hill.

Given the close time gaps among the athletes on the leaderboard, the upcoming second run will be exhilarating! Second run begins at 12:30 CET.

Results of the top 30 and analysis of the fastest three and other qualified North Americans