Scheib extends Giant Slalom lead as Brignone makes emotional return

Julia Scheib (AUT/Rossignol) extended her lead at the top of the standings by winning the Kronplatz Giant Slalom on Tuesday as Federica Brignone (ITA/Rossignol) marked her incredible return to the Audi FIS World Cup with a sixth-place finish.

Scheib was the third-last athlete to go out for her second run, with last week's winner Camille Rast (SUI/Head) and Sweden's Sara Hector (Head) still to come once Scheib had crossed in a total time of 2:19.85.

Rast was unable to match her heroics from Kranjska Gora where she won a first ever Giant Slalom World Cup, as she finished 0.37 seconds behind Scheib to claim second, while Hector - who was in prime position to secure victory as her coaches had set the course for the second run - crossed the line 0.46 seconds behind Scheib to finish third and condemn Mikaela Shiffrin (USA/Atomic) to a third fourth-place finish of the Giant Slalom season.

"It feels really good. It was not so easy for me in the first run, the last section, but in the second everything was really good. I'm really happy," said Scheib, who came into this season without any World Cup victories and now has four to her name.

The Austrian's first ever World Cup appearance was in Kronplatz in March 2018, and on seven previous visits to the Italian slope she had recorded four DNFs and a best finish of ninth before finally getting the better of the Erta piste on Tuesday.

"This place is so magical for me, everything started here and I've had tough years here but today I tried to give it all. It was a perfect day," the Rossignol skier said.

It has also been a good season for Rast, who now has five consecutive top-five Giant Slalom finishes to trail leader Scheib (560) by 139 points in the standings.

"It was not so easy," Rast said. "When you come down here it's really dark, you just feel something rather than see something.

"I lost a bit too much time on the last part but it was a good race, it was two interesting runs. There are things I can do better but I have to take the positives."

Hector, who won in Kronplatz four years ago, says she paid the price for not taking the "tiger line" down the slope with more aggressive skiing.

"You can't decide if you win or not, you can only do your best," the Head skier said. "At the moment I have to work a little bit harder and change some small things.

"I'm very happy, third is for sure also very good but of course I really wanted to win.

"I knew when I was skiing it felt really nice but I knew I was also round, I didn't really attack it and really go on the tiger line.

"That's life, now it's just to take new energy and try to bring it with me for the next races."

'It's beautiful to be back'

Despite the impressive skiing of the top three, the biggest cheer of the day was reserved for Brignone, who was making her competitive return to the sport 292 days after a horror crash in the Italian National Championships threatened her participation in next month's Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on home snow.

Brignone was seventh-fastest in the first run and sixth-fastest in the second, as she claimed sixth overall in a time that was only 1.23 seconds behind the pace set by Scheib.

"It was difficult to come here and put myself out there, honestly, with only a few days of training," a tearful Brignone said.

"I arrived here with few certainties and a great desire to race and to put myself out there, and it was really great.

"I got emotional after the first run and again now, and it’s beautiful to be back."

The 35-year-old said the decision to make her return this week rather than wait until the Winter Games was in part down to ensuring she did not put too much expectation on herself at Milano Cortina 2026.

"All those emotions were so big and doing them at the Olympics would have been too much," said Brignone, who in an interview after her first run said she felt at the top that she wasn't ready.

Clearly her concerns were misplaced, as she fought the emotions and fears around the strength of her body to impress on her return to the circuit - and even the pain she revealed in an interview on Monday was unable to stop her.

"So today was actually OK because with the adrenaline I felt it less than usual so I'm really happy," she said, before adding with a laugh: "We'll see tonight!"

Check out the full results from the women’s Giant Slalom in Kronplatz here, with the latest season standings in the race for the Giant Slalom Crystal Globe here.

Also, do please head to Reuters Connect and Actionpress.de to view and purchase a wide selection of photographs from this race and from all FIS events.