Brignone Takes GS Globe
An emotional Federica Brignone (ITA/Rossignol) revealed in Sun Valley on Tuesday that for the first time in her long, storied career she had crossed the finish line of an Audi FIS World Cup race without worrying about the time.
That was because whatever the clock said the 34-year-old knew she was the 2024/25 women’s Giant Slalom Crystal Globe champion.
Swiss skier Lara Gut-Behrami took the victory, claiming her second win of the Stifel Sun Valley Finals week. Brignone ended up in second, and with that result, secured the giant slalom Crystal Globe, edging Robinson. It is Brignone’s third Globe of the 2024-25 season, after capturing the overall, super-G and giant slalom. Sweden’s Sara Hector finished third.
Gut-Behrami also clinched the Stifel HERoic Cup, a $50,000 prize for the winningest World Cup woman skier between the U.S. World Cup races: the Stifel Killington Cup, Stifel Birds of Prey and Stifel Sun Valley Finals. Stifel chairman and CEO Ronald Kruszewski presented the check and a trophy to the accomplished racer, who was thrilled to win the award, and stated that she was going to build a pool with the prize money.
The big name missing was Alice Robinson (NZL/Salomon). Leader of the season standings at the start of the day, the 23-year-old had seen her hopes of winning New Zealand’s first ever Globe all but disappear early on as she skied out during a tough first run.
That left Brignone, second quickest in the morning despite a wild, ragged effort, knowing she only needed to finish in the top 13 to snatch the season title from the distraught New Zealander.
She did it but wow, did she make it exciting.
“In the first run I totally messed up but it was really tricky and not easy. Then after, I said ‘OK, I am going to try to give everything as always’. When you attack is more easy,” a laughing Brignone said in the finish area.
The 34-year-old, who had mixed five wins with three DNFs in the eight previous GS races, gave her fans – including her mother watching from the stands – plenty of heart-in-the-mouth moments. In fact the second run was so on the edge that it was the quickest of all 20 racers.
“At the start I wanted to try and win the race. I knew I could recover (the gap to Gut-Behrami),” Brignone revealed.
"At the end I think it is more stressful for the people watching because you never know what happens in skiing. I had to stay calm, even if it’s not easy. If you start to think a lot then it’s going to be crazy and you can’t ski anymore. I was just focused on my skiing and the run and to push" said Brignone
Despite her fearless approach, the skier who has now claimed the Overall, the Downhill and the GS Globes in Sun Valley, admitted by the end even her mind had drifted away from the win.
“It’s the first time in my life I crossed the finish line already knowing I was going to say ‘yes’ even if I didn’t watch the time,” she said, smiling. “Not even watching the time I was already being happy and that’s the first time in my life.”
Ten wins – five in GS, three in Super G and two in Downhill – plus a further six podiums comprise a truly remarkable effort from a skier that continues to break barriers. Add on GS World Championship gold and a silver in Super G, and it’s no wonder the Italian can barely believe it.
“It sounds crazy,” Brignone said of her own efforts. “It’s been a crazy and amazing season for me. It’s just incredible. I never thought that I was able to ski like that this year and to stay focused and be on my skis and ski like that. It’s something magic.”
While defending GS Globe champion Gut-Behrami had not been able to get near to Brignone for the majority of this season, she has come very good right at the end.
Two days after denying the Italian the Super G Globe with a stunning performance down Sun Valley’s Challenger course, Gut-Behrami was comfortably quickest in run one and despite the tricky spring conditions she held on to her advantage without too much bother.
“I’m really happy, GS I have been struggling a lot this season,” Gut-Behrami said. “I’m just happy that at the end I was able to show the skiing that I can do and it’s really nice to end the season with a win in GS, a double win here.”
It is the 48th success of her remarkable career – 24 Super G wins, 13 Downhill triumphs, 10 GS victories and one in Alpine Combined. That gives her the distinction of becoming the first female athlete to achieve Alpine skiing’s fabled ‘triple double’ – 10 World Cup wins in three disciplines. As well as helping her hit the century of podiums.
“It’s unbelievable. I am just thankful I could be healthy all these years so I could do that,” the 33-year-old said. “Thanks to my family and to my team because it’s hard to be alone and do that. I am really glad to have amazing people around me. 100 podiums, it’s unbelievable.”
Hector cannot boast those kind of numbers but it has still been another mighty impressive season for the reigning Olympic GS champion. Two wins and two podiums from nine GS races enough to put her third in the season standings, a place she had been targeting for the past few weeks.
“Of course, it was in my head today and I really wanted to do it. It feels great I was able to do a podium today and finish strong,” the 32-year-old Swede said. “The season started a little bit tough and then it got so good and then my energy went out around World Champs.
Robinson can be forgiven for not being quite so enthusiastic about the Idaho resort. At 23-years-old the New Zealander represents a new generation of skiers poised to challenge the likes of Brignone, Gut-Behrami and Hector. But, the old guard are not ready to let them climb to the very top just yet.
After a season in which Robinson’s incredible consistency – podium finishes in all but one race – had put her 20 points ahead of Brignone going into the final day, the New Zealander needed one more great performance. But after coming out the gate a touch tentative, she struggled to find her rhythm and agonisingly lost her inside ski halfway down.
“It was just a lot of tough things today,” a tearful Robinson said. “It’s really tough right now for sure. It’s been such a big season, it would have been great to finish on a high today but I’ve never been in this position before and just going to take it and put it into learning. Hopefully this is going to make me work harder this summer to be better next year.”
At the end of the day, it was U.S. Ski Team athlete AJ Hurt as the top American, taking eighth place.
With a smile across her face, Hurt whipped her hands into the air across the line to end her season with a top 10 result and 14th in the overall FIS giant slalom overall rankings.
In the first run, the snow did not hold up well and the set was difficult, causing many DNFs. Paula Moltzan, currently ranked within the top seven, ran into trouble early in her run. Losing grip on her pole around the third gate, she fought her way down the course with just one pole and was heading into a position within the top five. However, just before the finish, Moltzan crashed into the fence. Despite being banged up with a bandage on her face, she is OK.
U.S. Ski Team athlete Nina O’Brien also landed in the top 15 in 12th place. While it was not the result she hoped for at home, she was still excited to race in the U.S. and see friends and family in the crowd. O’Brien ended her giant slalom season in 11th in the overall GS rankings.
“The set was definitely a little bit tough today with the snow breaking down, and you have to be really smart about how you ski,” said O’Brien. “Our team has been pushing each other this season a lot and it feels like every race somebody is shining each day which has been really cool.”
On the second run, the course set was much more forgiving for the athletes, and the best pushed the limits. Hurt skied cleanly into the top position and moved up a few spots to land in the top 10.
“It's nice to come away with a good result as we head into the next season,” said Hurt. “It is also pretty awesome to have family and friends around since we are also pretty close to California.”
Stifel U.S. Ski Team members Lauren Macuga and Katie Hensien also raced. Though Hensien did not finish, she is still proud of her season. Macuga, a speed skier, was able to race after scoring over 500 World Cup points. She put down two gutsy runs in her first ever World Cup giant slalom and scored points, finishing in 15th place.
