SOELDEN – American ski star Mikaela Shiffrin led the women's World Cup season opener after the first run Saturday, with defending overall champion Lara Gut-Behrami deciding shortly before the start to skip the race.
Aiming for her record-extending 98th career win, Shiffrin wasn't flawless in the opening section of the giant slalom but beat her opponents with a strong middle part and finish.
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Alice Robinson of New Zealand led Shiffrin by 0.42 seconds at the second split but ultimately came up 0.22 short. Federica Brignone of Italy trailed by 0.40 in third, with only two more racers finishing within a second of the American's time.
“I felt good. My preparation going to this race was quite strong, I am happy with my skiing right now. The only task is to bring more intensity or more aggression, try to find time somewhere,” said Shiffrin, who was hugged by her fiancé, injured Norwegian skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, in the finish area.
“I had a moment where I didn’t really trust my direction where I was going," Shiffrin said. "It wasn’t a big mistake, it takes away your intensity a little bit. But then, after that, I was pushing even harder. Maybe it just took me until the pitch to turn on the gas. But even then it was really strong.”
Holding the women's record with 22 wins in the discipline, Shiffrin was racing her first GS since injuring her knee in a downhill crash in January. She is leaving the downhill off her schedule this season.
Gut-Behrami didn't start as she did “not feel 100%.”
The Swiss star, who suffered from knee problems and missed a week of training recently because of the flu, made the decision after course inspection shortly before the race.
“During the inspection, doing the warmup, I understood it was not the day to race. You can not go to the start and feel 90% or have doubts about your health,” Gut-Behrami said. “I don’t want to be injured to stop my career. I just want to be able to understand when it’s over and I don’t think it’s today.”
Gut-Behrami became the oldest winner of the women's World Cup overall title at 32 last season, overtaking five-time champion Shiffrin on top of the standings in the second half of the season, when the American was out nursing a knee injury. She also won the giant slalom season title.
Gut-Behrami, the Olympic super-G champion and 2021 world champion in GS, previously won the overall title in 2016 and has 45 race wins on the World Cup, including three at the traditional season-opening GS in Soelden.
Shiffrin led a strong performance by the U.S. ski team, with Paula Moltzan looming in seventh, and Katie Hensien in 17th and Nina O'Brien in 21st both qualifying for the second run in what is their comeback race after missing last season with injuries.
“A little bit relieved, for sure. I feel not totally satisfied, just because there is some mistakes,” O'Brien said. “But I’m glad I kept it rolling and I think all things considered I can feel OK about getting the first run out of the way.”
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Eric Willemsen on X: https://x.com/eWilmedia
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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing