Gut-Behrami leads Shiffrin after 1st run of 2nd Semmering GS

SEMMERING. Lara Gut-Behrami. Photo: GEPA pictures

SEMMERING, Austria – Swiss skier Lara Gut-Behrami edged Mikaela Shiffrin in the first run of a women’s World Cup giant slalom Wednesday, as the pair built a big lead over the rest of the field.

You could see it was going to be another challenging first run when bib one Tessa Worley’s skis were bouncing significantly in many of the turns. The race crew had done what was possible, but the hill would be a handful. It immediately felt like another day that would be hard for higher start number. 

When the surface is this demanding, it amplifies the ability differences between the best and the rest. Transitions, the weight transfer from ski to ski, become more complex. When the racer isn’t in a good position on the new ski, it is hard to create a clean arc, which is their accelerator. Their timing becomes difficult, and time is lost. 

By the time the 15 best women were in the first run finish, the time difference from fastest to slowest was 3.30 seconds. However, the two women who had best met the demands of the course had times under a minute. Bib four, Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami, was in the lead, and bib seven, USA’s Mikaela Shiffrin, trailed her by only 0.22 seconds. Both used timing and power to accelerate down the hill faster than their competitors. This season’s best GS skier, Italy’s Marta Bassino, was in third, 0.81 off Gut-Behrami’s pace.

Shiffrin won Tuesday’s GS at the same venue for her 78th career World Cup win, leaving her four short of the women’s record held by Lindsey Vonn. Shiffrin has found her confidence in her GS, and today, she is again in contention for a victory. 

Shiffrin led Gut-Behrami’s time throughout her run but could not match the Swiss skier’s pace at the flat bottom section.

“It’s quite a straight course, a really fast course, and it has some bumps in it,” Shiffrin said. “It’s kind of hard to ski something with so little turn, and I’m really happy that I was able to do it that well.”

Notably, the demands of the first run created 1.84 seconds of separation from first to 10th. The good news is that the course rewarded commitment and determination. Bib 22, Norway’s Maria Therese Tviberg, produced the ninth fastest time. Canada’s Valerie Grenier was able to start 18th and finish in 12th.

At that point, there was hope for athletes to move up the leaderboard from their start positions. Perhaps we would see bibs above 30 qualifying for the second run. It would be a tall task. However, four were able to qualify. Skiing in her home country with bib 51, Elisabeth Kappauer qualified 26th immediately behind USA’s Paula Moltzan, who sits in 25th. Also skiing with bib 58, the 16-year-old Albanian Lara Colturi qualified 30th and will be first out of the gate on the second run. Colturi is 3.35 seconds out of the lead.

Analysis of the top three and other qualified North Americans and first-run results of the top 30

Top 30 first run results Semmering women’s GS December, 28th

The Associated Press contributed to this report.