Jasná GS podium GEPA pictures/Harald Steiner

Today, the women welcomed their 5th World Cup GS winner of the season. The Swedish Olympic Champion Sara Hector, who recently earned her first slalom podium, dominated the day, winning by (-1.52). She used the fastest second run to better the world’s best Mikaela Shiffrin.

The friendly, well-liked Hector loved the racing surface, the courses, and the crowd. Her good feelings resulted in a master class in GS skiing.

“It feels so amazing,” said the 31-year-old, who had not won a World Cup race since a giant slalom victory on 25 January 2022 in Kronplatz, two weeks before she won the Olympic title in Beijing. She also said, “I feel so bad for Petra.”

“The snow was perfect; amazing race. I had so much fun skiing today,” Hector said. “I feel like my setup is so good for ice; everything was working today.”

Shiffrin

Shiffrin executed the second fast final run and looked like she may have done enough to threaten Hector. However, Hector, who was a second faster than Shiffrin in the morning, was (-0.52) quicker in the afternoon. Women’s 2024 World Cup GS continues to deliver compelling outcomes and provide drama to the pursuit of the season’s GS title.

“It was just fun to watch her ski,” Shiffrin said. “You have to just take a step back and say, ‘That’s just nice to look at.'”

Alice Robinson

The 22-year-old established veteran New Zealand’s Alice Robinson earns her second podium of the season, the 7th of her career.

Robinson said, “Second run, I was thinking I had to push, and at the start, I made a couple of mistakes, and I thought to myself, ‘Maybe reel it in a little bit,’ because there was a big gap to fourth.” 

Usually, the podium excitement starts with the final ten racers skiing. However, today, the first run’s fourth fastest, Croatian Zrinka Ljutic, crossed with a lead, knowing she would likely end where she started the run, in fourth. She was undoubtedly aware that all the women remaining at the top had a significant time advantage.

The first of those three to ski was Robinson and Robinson didn’t disappoint. Like every run she has skied, she attacked the entire course. Robinson crossed the finish with a vast (-1.62) lead.

However, Shiffrin was determined to do everything she could to overcome her first run Hector deficit. Shiffrin’s skiing was terrific and she crossed (-1.19) ahead of Robinson. But just like the first run, no one matched Hector.

Petra Vlhová‘s season ends

The day’s biggest news is the injury sustained by the Slovakian star Petra Vlhová.

“Thank you all for the support,” Vlhova said in a statement released by her team. “I am positive I can handle the situation. I will fight for the earliest possible comeback.”

Unfortunately, the Slovakian superstar Petra Vlhová fell in front of her 35,000 fans. The injury to her knee ligament will mean the end of her season and the compelling slalom rivalry with Shiffrin. The sport has benefitted from her performances, and she will be missed.

North Americans

Stifel US Ski Team’s AJ Hurt has earned a second top-ten finish. The 23-year-old rising star shows she belongs among the world’s elite. Today, she delivered a career-best GS, finishing 7th place (+4.60). This rising star has shown speed all season long, and now she is getting that speed to the finish.

Canadian Valerie Grenier won in Kranjska Gora in the most recent giant slalom of the season. She is among the best in the world, but today, she had a disappointing first run. Grenier was the 9th skier to race the second course. She delivered a much better run than her morning performance and crossed the finish with a lead. Grenier could keep the leader’s chair for the next ten racers and move up the leaderboard 11 positions to finish 11th (+6.05). Her second run was the fourth fastest.

The woman who could dethrone Grenier from the lead was Norway’s speed discipline star Kajsa Vickhoff Lie. She used the start number she earned by scoring over 500 points in speed events. However, in her first World Cup GS, she ends the day in 10th place (+5.52).

Stifel US Ski Team’s Paula Moltzan also struggled on the morning’s course. Although she could not match Grenier’s effort, she improved her position by five spots and finished 16th (+6,74).

Significant time differentials

Today, the time differential between the first and fifth was (+4.40). The differential to the tenth-place skier was (+5.52), and the differential among the field was (+8.74).

Another skier to move up 11 positions in the afternoon was Sweden’s Lisa Nyberg, who finished 12th.

Sara Hector seizes her first GS victory of the season in commanding fashion, marking her career 5th World Cup GS win. By outpacing the formidable Mikaela Shiffrin, Hector established her dominance. Accompanied by the established yet youthful talent of Alice Robinson and the rising star AJ Hurt, the Women’s 2024 World Cup GS promises an exhilarating pursuit of the season’s title. The fans witnessed a captivating blend of experience and emerging talent, setting the stage for thrilling competitions ahead.

However, the day’s big news is the injury sustained by the Slovakian star Petra Vlhová. If she cannot ski tomorrow, the nature of the season’s slalom title will be changed drastically. She has been the only skier to challenge Shiffrin’s slalom dominance.

Jasná GS results and analysis of the fastest three and other North Americans

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Analysis of the fastest three and other North Americans