Austrian skier Julia Scheib showcased her dominance in the women’s World Cup giant slalom season opener in Solden, Austria, thwarting American skier Paula Moltzan’s bid for her first career victory. Moltzan led a strong showing by the U.S. ski team, with Mikaela Shiffrin finishing fourth and Nina O’Brien in sixth place, alongside four more Americans in the top 20.
Scheib extended her lead from the first run by 1.28 seconds to clinch the victory by 0.58 seconds, marking the Austrian women’s team’s first World Cup GS win since Eva-Maria Brem’s triumph in 2016. Lara Gut-Behrami secured third place, trailing by 1.11 seconds, with Shiffrin following 1.42 seconds behind.
Expressing her relief, Scheib commented, “A load of thousands of kilos has dropped off my shoulders, I was so relieved to see the green light.” Moltzan, pleased with her performance matching her career-best result, acknowledged the difference between training and race conditions.
In an unexpected turn, Scheib surprised the pre-race favorites with a near-flawless run in the steep middle section, finishing 1.28 seconds ahead of Moltzan. Shiffrin, starting in 20th place due to lower GS rankings from the previous season’s injury layoff, displayed a confident performance, climbing to sixth after the first run and advancing to fourth in the final run.
Val Grenier from Canada began her season with an 11th-place finish. Shiffrin shared her progress in overcoming post-traumatic stress following a previous crash, aiming to regain her race mentality fully. Despite a fall in the first run by Sofia Goggia, who swiftly recovered, the Italian team faced setbacks with injuries sidelining top skiers like Federica Brignone and Marta Bassino.
The event concluded with anticipation for the men’s giant slalom scheduled for the following day on the same hill.