22nd World Cup victory: Brignone defies her pursuers

Federica Brignone also confirmed her great form in the giant slalom in the second run. The Azzurra stood at the top of the podium amid the fog in Mont-Tremblant, Canada.

02 December 2023

From: do

After the giant slaloms in Sölden and Killington, it wasn't Lara Gut-Behrami who was at the top on Saturday evening, but Federica Brignone. The Azzurra mastered the difficult conditions best in the second round in Mont-Tremblant and secured victory ahead of Petra Vlhova (+2 seconds) and Mikaela Shiffrin (+0,21 seconds). Elisa Platino from Merano qualified for this second run, but was eliminated after a few goals and is still waiting for her first World Cup points this season.

Platino had a difficult task. Not only because she was the only South Tyrolean to represent her homeland in Canada, but also because she opened the second round as the starting runner. The conditions in Mont-Tremblant were anything but ideal. The fog, the dark weather and the fresh snow required all runners to concentrate. For the 24-year-old South Tyrolean, these conditions were fatal. After a few gates, when entering the steep slope, Platino was far too late, slipped briefly on the inside ski and was out of the race.

Petra Vlhova drove from fourth place to second place. © ANSA / PONTUS LUNDAHL

The athletes after the South Tyrolean also had severe problems with the demanding route. Only the absolute top runners, starting with Mikaela Shiffrin and Petra Vlhova, showed what was possible in the Canadian snow. Both conjured up a lightning-fast time on the stopwatch and left their successors like Sara Hector and Gut-Behrami desperate. Only the outstanding Brignone broke the Slovakian's best time and defended her dominance in the first run. The Azzurra celebrated their 22nd World Cup victory.

Two more top results

This was the icing on the cake of a solid performance from the Italian women's national team. With Marta Bassino (6th place/+1,04 seconds) and Sofia Goggia (7th place/+1,62 seconds), two more Azzurre landed in the top ten.