Featured Image: Mikaela Shiffrin racing the first run in Sölden. Credit: GEPA

The women kicked off the opening weekend of World Cup racing with an exciting first run on the iconic Rettenbach Glacier, establishing a high standard for this year’s competition. 

The racers were met with some challenging conditions: dry, spring-like snow, flat light, slight winds up top, and weather moving in, but the athletes continued to charge from top to bottom.

Today, Mikaela Shiffrin drew bib-1, so she was the first to set the tone on the track. Shiffrin came in today stating, “I am going to try to peak at the beginning of the season and ride it until the end.” 

She held true to her goal and did not hold back, even with the nerves of starting first. She began with strong momentum at the top, attacking panel to panel. Then, she skied the pitch smart, which allowed her to carry speed into the finish. 

She stated after first run, “I felt really good with it, but I think there’s speed on the hill that I left. Nobody nailed it perfectly this run, so I’ll try to see if I can bring the intensity more on the second run.”

Alice Robinson from New Zealand, sporting bib-2, got off to a quick start. She maintained the fastest time during the first two intervals as she navigated the course. However, she couldn’t maintain that pace in the lower section, finishing +0.22 seconds behind the lead. 

Robinson was the youngest winner on this course in 2019 at just 17 years old, and last season she continued her GS success with five podium finishes. So, her first run set her up to battle for another win on the track. 

Last year, during the initial run in Sölden, Italian Federica Brignone punched out of the start gate, giving an impressive performance, leading the charge by five tenths. However, the event ended in a tight race with Lara Gut-Behrami winning by only 0.02 seconds over Brignone. 

A win on the hill for the defending overall and GS World Champion would have made Gut-Behrami the winningest female on the Sölden track. Unfortunately, the 33-year-old, who was supposed to start bib-4, made a last-minute decision to not start due to a knee issue reported. 

Other North American Athletes

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Paula Moltzan was the second North American to push out of the start gate, wearing bib-8. 

She came into today feeling excited and was happy that they got a few days to train on the track. She stated, “Yeah, it’s nice that we got some days on it beforehand to know that it’s there and what’s coming. So I think we’ll see how the weather plays out.”

Moltzan knew the pitch was steeper than what it was in past seasons, which is where she showed strength and confidence. She came onto the pitch with a little bobble leaning in, but pulled back to find her rhythm again, finishing +1.48 going into the second run. 

Britt Richardson, a 21-year-old from Alpine Canada Alpin, started her run at the top of the course with the intention of making an impact. Although she took a turn slightly wide before the pitch, which cost her time, she managed to regain momentum and crossed the finish line with a time +2.12 off the lead. She’s still in the running to secure a spot on the leaderboard.

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Nina O’Brien’s return to snow was much-anticipated and exciting to see as she shined with confidence from the start. She impressively moved through the tough conditions, and although she got a little late on the pitch, she continued the grind. She brought speed into the last part of the course and respectively came in +2.63 behind her teammate.

Her teammate, Katie Hensien also sat out last year but was pushing in her comeback to the World Cup stage. She was driving through each turn and showed that she believed in her preparation to come back. She impressively came through, moving from 47th position to 17th position, heading into the second run.

Alpine Canada Alpin racer Cassidy Gray wearing bib-32 came through the finish with a smile on her face. Her top finish last season in GS was 15th place and she came through the finish in 24th position, giving her a solid start for the second run to move up. 

Alpine Canada Alpin Justine Lamontagne wore bib-59, kicking out of her third World Cup she battled through the course but did not qualify for the second run. 

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Keely Cashman leaned in and got bucked sideways at the top of the course, unfortunately resulting in a DNF.

The second run will be an exciting chance for many to move up and will be a battle for the top athletes to keep their spots. Tune in at 5:00AM MST, 7:00AM EST!

First Run Top 30

Analysis of The Top 3 and Top 30 North Americans