Gut-Behrami Leads After First Run, Brignone Inches Toward the Globe

Lara Gut-Behrami: GEPA pictures

Gut-Behrami Leads After First Run, Brignone Inches Toward the Globe

Lara Gut-Behrami delivered a brilliant first run on Sun Valley’s steep Greyhawk-Hemingway-Greyhawk course to lead the Stifel World Cup Finals giant slalom. The Swiss skier, already crowned the super-G season champion, attacked with clean timing and total confidence, clocking 1:04.07.

Italy’s Federica Brignone, skiing first, looked tight under title pressure. She made small but costly mistakes and finished 0.45 back in second. Still, she holds the advantage. With Alice Robinson crashing out, Brignone must finish 13th or better to secure the giant slalom globe. If she finishes 14th or worse, Robinson would win the title on points.

Sweden’s Olympic champion Sara Hector is third, 0.68 back. Only those three racers finished within a second of the lead.

Just 20 of 29 starters made it down on a steep and punishing course that exposed even the slightest mistake.

North American Standings After Run One

Inside the Top 15:

• 10. AJ Hurt (USA) — +3.04
  Hurt battled from top to bottom, finding speed in the final sector to stay inside the top 10.
• 13. Nina O’Brien (USA) — +4.09
  O’Brien skied clean but conservative, surviving the demanding terrain to stay in the points fight.

Outside the Top 15:

• 20. Lauren Macuga (USA) — +6.09
  Macuga embraced the challenge with courage and joy in her first World Cup giant slalom. A rising force in speed events, she earned her GS Finals start by scoring over 500 points this season. She smiled and blew kisses after crossing the line — proud to finish on one of the toughest giant slalom tracks of the year.
• DNF: Paula Moltzan (USA)
  Moltzan lost a pole at the top but charged ahead with one. She attacked with full commitment before crashing in the final sector.
• DNF: Valerie Grenier (CAN)
  Grenier was on pace early but got caught by the bottom section and went out near the finish.
• DSQ: Britt Richardson (CAN)
  Richardson capped a breakthrough season by qualifying for her first Finals, but her run ended at the bottom with a disqualification.
• DSQ: Katie Hensien (USA)
  Racing her first Finals, Hensien was just three gates from the finish before a costly error led to a straddle and disqualification.

Macuga, the Happy Warrior, Finishes Her First World Cup GS Run in Front of a Home Crowd

“It was a battle out there,” said Lauren Macuga, grinning after her World Cup giant slalom debut. “Running last was not fun, but it was so cool to be out here, check out a GS, and just do it in front of a home crowd. I just wanted to make it down—and have fun.”

A rising speed skier, Macuga embraced the challenge with her usual joyful energy. “They were calling DNFs over the radio before I started, and I thought, okay, this is going to be a fight. But I just had to go for it.”

Second Run: 2:00 p.m. ET | 11:00 a.m. PT
Live Coverage (U.S.): USA, OutsideTV (free), Peacock
On-Demand: Outside+
Canada: CBC Sports

First Run GS Results

Click images to enlarge

Run analysis of the fastest three and North Americans