SOELDEN, Austria — American ski star Mikaela Shiffrin led the women’s World Cup season opener after the first run, 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.
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,” Shiffrin said.
“The only task is to bring more intensity or more aggression, try to find time somewhere.
“I had a moment where I didn´t really trust my direction where I was going,” Shiffrin added according to AP.
“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 per cent.”
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 warm-up, I understood it was not the day to race. You cannot go to the start and feel 90 per cent 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.”
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 US 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.”
Norway’s two-time Olympic medallist and 2020 overall World Cup winner Aleksander Aamodt Kilde will miss the Alpine Ski World Cup season due to an ongoing shoulder issue, the Norwegian Ski Federation announced.
The 32-year-old speed specialist suffered a horrific fall in January, dislocating his shoulder during a crash in a World Cup downhill race in Wengen, Switzerland.
Since then, he has undergone two surgeries and will need another one after developing a shoulder infection in July.
“Unfortunately, this means I won´t be competing this season, but I´m fully committed to my rehabilitation and working towards a strong comeback. Thank you all for your support during this time,” Kilde said in a statement.
His fiancee, American Mikaela Shiffrin, 29, thanked fans for their support following the news, as she prepares for the season opener in Soelden, Austria, this weekend.
“We are gonna take things as they come,” she said according to Reuters.
In a video shared on Instagram, the 2019/20 overall World Cup winner revealed how the last couple of months have been challenging, both physically and mentally: “I was asking myself, am I going to be able to really use my shoulder ever again?,” the 32-year-old admitted.
Kilde added that he will need four months of rehab after surgery before he can start training again, ruling out the possibility of competing: “There’s not going any racing for me this season,” he said.
‘‘This unfortunately means I won’t be competing this winter, but I’m fully committed to my rehab and working towards a strong comeback. Thanks for all your support during this time.’’
Kilde, who was the overall World Cup winner in 2020, will now set his sights on the 2025/26 season and returning to competitive skiing fully healed and ready to compete.
Trond Floberghagen, Norwegian alpine national team doctor, said, ‘‘After a challenging injury break, Aleksander is now well-prepared and motivated for a new rehabilitation process, and we expect him to be back at the starting line next season.’’
Kilde won two medals at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, taking men’s alpine combined silver and a bronze medal in the men’s super-G event.
The Lommedalen skier has already undergone several surgical operations in 2024, including to a deep cut in his calf and for a problem with his shoulder.
