CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Italian skiing sensation Federica Brignone has positioned herself for a potential second Olympic gold medal within a week after delivering a commanding performance in the first run of the women’s giant slalom at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
The 35-year-old veteran, who captured the super-G title just days ago after a 16-year Olympic pursuit, demonstrated exceptional form on the challenging Dolomite Mountains course. Brignone completed the 51-gate run in 1:03.23, establishing a substantial lead over her closest competitors in a field of 76 elite skiers.
This impressive showing comes less than a year after Brignone suffered a severe fracture to her left leg that required surgical intervention with multiple screws and left her immobilized for weeks. The 2023 world champion in giant slalom has made a remarkable recovery to reach peak form at these Games.
German skier Lena Duerr trails Brignone by 0.34 seconds, while Italian teammate Sofia Goggia sits third, 0.46 seconds behind. A three-way tie for fourth place at 1:03.97 includes defending Olympic champion Sara Hector of Sweden, Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund, and Albania’s Lara Colturi.
American star Mikaela Shiffrin, the 2018 Olympic champion in this event, finished her first run in seventh position, more than a second behind Brignone. Shiffrin is seeking her first Olympic medal in eight years and aims to rebound from a disappointing fourth-place finish in the combined event earlier in these Games.
Brignone described her approach: “I tried to attack, to be clean and intelligent on the terrain changes and then toward the end, to anticipate the bumps. It was just a natural reaction for me. I had a proper run and it all came naturally to me.”
Current World Cup giant slalom leader Julia Scheib of Austria, who sits eleventh after the first run, acknowledged Brignone’s dominance: “Perfect skiing. She likes the snow. I noticed and it was not a huge surprise.”
Brignone’s four Olympic medals now tie the record for most by an Italian woman in alpine skiing history. With her stellar first run, she stands poised to add a second gold to her collection when competition concludes.