GEPA pictures/Mario Buehner-Weinrauch

Sunday, March 17th: Saalbach Austria Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami will try to lock up the season GS title. However, the only woman with a mathematical possibility of overtaking her is Italian Federica Brignone, who leads after the first run. Brignone would have to win to earn the globe, and Gut-Behrami would have to finish outside the top 15. Gut-Behrami’s first run efforts have her ranked 6th (+1.67).

In true Brignone style, she attacked at the very limit from the start gate to the finish. She came very close to crossing the limits multiple times, creating quite a nervous energy among her fans.

Three women were within a second of the leader. Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund also skied with consistent aggression and was second fastest (+0.48). New Zealand’s Alice Robinson’s coach, Nils Coberger, set the first run course, and by skiing well, she found herself third fastest (+0.85). The only other skier inside second behind Brignone is Norway’s Mina Fuerst Holtman (+0.98).

In her final World Cup GS before her retirement, Norway’s Ragnhild Mowinckel ended the morning fourth fastest and in a great position to earn a podium.

North Americans

AJ Hurt was the first of a pair of Stifel US Ski Team members to ski; however, she experienced difficulty and crossed (+3,23). Starting early during the final GS run of the World Cup season, she will have an excellent opportunity to move up the leaderboard.

The final Stifel US Ski Team member to ski the first run was veteran Paula Moltzan, who also struggled to find her top speed and finished 13th (+2.56).

Britt Richardson was the only Canadian to compete in the first run and she skied with both speed and aggression, but similar to Hurt, the aggression created an issue in the final timing sector that caused her to lose time; she will also start the second run early being (+3.43)

As the anticipation builds for the second run of the season’s final GS event, viewers can expect a thrilling showdown between Gut-Behrami and Brignone as they battle for the coveted title. With Brignone’s aggressive style and Gut-Behrami’s determination, anything can happen on the slopes of Saalbach. Tune in to witness the excitement unfold and discover who will emerge victorious in this exhilarating conclusion to an incredible World Cup season.

First run results and analysis of the fastest three and North Americans

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Analysis of the fastest three and North Americans