Rast dedicates maiden GS win to Crans-Montana fire victims

Camille Rast (SUI/Head) added her name to the growing list of contenders for Giant Slalom gold at next month’s Olympic Winter Games with a superb all-round display in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia on Saturday. But the Swiss star’s primary thoughts on securing her first ever Audi FIS World Cup GS triumph were for those who lost their lives in the tragic New Year’s Eve fire in her hometown of Crans-Montana.

The reigning Slalom world champion has been getting better and better with each ski in her second discipline, and down the famous Podkoren she proved too good for the rest of the best in the first race of 2026. Out the start gate first in run one, she led at halfway by 0.33 seconds and while she confidently converted that advantage into victory ahead of Julia Scheib (AUT/Rossignol) and Paula Moltzan (Rossignol), she was desperate to honour those suffering.

Rast added: "Sport brings emotion and I hope today I could bring some positive emotion for people. It’s really hard to know how it is when you are not home but for sure it is difficult, and I hope I could bring a little smile on some faces today.”

Top quality top five

Second last-time out in Semmering, Austria the emotional Rast was too swift even for season-standout Scheib. The Austrian, winner of three of the previous five races, pushed mighty hard, but even a scintillating second run could not quite close the gap, with Scheib ending 0.20 seconds off her Swiss rival’s pace.

Meanwhile, Moltzan headlined another excellent day for the USA women’s tech team (three skiers in the top eight) as she shook off the effects of a heavy crash in Semmering to finish on the podium for the second time this season.

Defending Olympic GS champion Sara Hector (SWE/Head) and the most successful women’s World Cup GS skier of all-time Mikaela Shiffrin (USA/Atomic) rounded off a high-class top-five. With only Alice Robinson (NZL/Salomon) of the top contenders missing out, the New Zealander failing to finish run one for the second GS in succession.

'Big step forward' for Rast

Nine different skiers have already finished on a World Cup GS podium this season, underlining just how tight the race for the top is. And, after her win and last week’s second place helped her leapfrog Robinson into second behind Scheib in the season standings, there is no doubt Rast is now another one to watch.

Even if many things are still new to the 26-year-old.

“It was my first time with bib No.1 in GS, I didn’t really know how to handle this kind of special first run,” Rast laughed. “It was a bit like, ‘Oh well, I start with bib one I have to ski fast, not to enjoy such a nice slope and ski slow’. That was quite challenging but I had a lot of fun today.”

Dynamic and confident, Rast certainly looked like she was having fun with even a gasp-inducing second-run error at top of the final pitch failing to wipe the smile off her face.

“I feel really great. It is a big step forward winning my first GS. It’s really tight in GS right now.”  

Scheib & Moltzan shine once more

Scheib knows just what she means. The Austrian started the season with just one World Cup GS podium to her name. Now she has three wins, two second place finishes and the leader’s red bib.

That helped put a smile back on Austrian faces after the news that former Slalom world champion Katharina Liensberger (AUT/Rossignol) will miss the rest of the season following a training run injury on Friday.

Moltzan could not quite match the rhythm Scheib found in the second run but just getting to the finish was quite an achievement for 31-year-old.

“I’m actually happy but a bit relieved. Last week was extremely difficult for me, still not feeling 100 per cent so to be able to pull it off was pretty nice," Moltzan said.

"I had some bruising on my spine on my L4 and L5 (lumbar vertebrae) so, basically every time I hit a bump it doesn’t really feel that good. So, lucky that the snow is actually quite smooth here.”

Moltzan, who won GS bronze at last year’s World Championships in Saalbach, led home Shiffrin in fifth and Nina O’Brien (USA/Rossignol) in eighth, to underline that the Stars and Stripes will have multiple medal threats at February’s Olympic Games in Cortina D’Ampezzo.

“It’s a really fun team to be a part of, you never really know who is going to be the fastest in training,” Moltzan said. “On race day I see so many of my teammates have podium potential speed and I think all it takes is for them to put two runs together.”

She will have to cede favourite status for Sunday’s Slalom down the Podkoren to Shiffrin – the record setter is going for her sixth consecutive win of the season – but the 31-year-old continues to bloom late in her career.