After days of spring-like weather, winter arrived back in Åre, Sweden for the women’s Giant Slalom. The women approached this final regular World Cup season giant slalom race to battle into the top 25 for a spot in the World Cup Finals in Saalbach, Austria.

Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland has held the lead for the GS World Cup standings. She came into the competition today with 685 points. Out of the nine GS races in 2024, Gut-Behrami has won four giant slalom races and secured second position in two.

However, Sara Hector took the lead on the first run. She kicked out of the start, ready to win on her home hill. Looking confident and clean down the track, she skied into a crowd packed with her Swedish fans. She established a time that proved challenging to beat, heading into the second run -0.61 ahead of the field.

She stated on social media before the race, “Feels so special and fun to ski on home ground.”

The crowd certainly made her feel special on this first run. Their cheers bellowed when she skied into the finish arena and as she was on the screen in the leader’s chair. If she holds onto her fast time through her second run, it will be her inaugural GS win on home soil. It would also mark her sixth World Cup GS victory of her career and her second in 2024.

Gut-Behrami was attacking the course, but her line did not stand up to Hector’s lead. She continued to lose time on the Swedish skier throughout the track, coming through in 2nd place heading into the second run.

Federica Brignone of Italy started the day holding the second-most World Cup giant slalom points: 135 points behind Gut-Behrami and 69 points in front of Hector.

Directly out of the start gate, it was apparent that Brignone wanted to push herself on this fast track and end on a high in this final regular season race. In the top section, she was off the pace from Hector, but she made up some time in the final sections. However, it was not enough to beat Hector’s pace.

The top 3 World Cup standing contenders were the fastest three racers on the first run. They head into the second run with Hector in 1st place, Gut-Behrami in 2nd, and Brignone in 3rd. It will be a challenging second run for the women as they try to catch up to Hector’s blazing time.

Through the first 30 skiers, the conditions continued to worsen. The winds picked up, especially at the start. With huge time gaps, the door remained wide open for the women to make it into the second run, but they needed to ski strategically on this track to ensure that they carried speed into the critical sections.

North Americans

Paula Moltzan was the first North American out of the start, wearing bib-8. Moltzan, in her normal fashion, attacked the course and ran a risky line. However, she got pushed late and low through the top section, which caused the athlete to back off slightly in the middle section. She then hip-checked at the end but remained on her feet and put herself in 13th place heading into the second run.

AJ Hurt was the second Stifel US Ski Team athlete to compete. Hurt was attacking the top, eager to prove herself on the track. She lost some speed heading into the flat section but remained in the top 10, +1.81 off Hector heading into the second run.

For Alpine Canada Alpin, two of their racers, Cassidy Gray and Britt Richardson, skied strong, achieving a second run. Gray had the fastest time for her team, finishing in 17th place, a solid position to work into a top-10 result.

Arianne Forget had her debut World Cup start. However, her inaugural World Cup was short-lived when she went out in the top section of the course. She remained on two feet but got pushed late, which caused her to miss the gate.

The Stifel US Ski Team and Alpine Canada Alpin are missing their top racers, Mikaela Shiffrin and ​​Valérie Grenier. Both superstars stood on top of the podium in GS this season, but both are absent due to injury. Fortunately, Shiffrin will be back to race for the slalom tomorrow, but Grenier’s injury was substantial, keeping her out for the season.

Top 30 After First Run

Top 3 Analysis After First Run

North Americans Heading into Second Run