From dark moments to the finest hour: Sölden celebrates its heroine

Julia Scheib has become a heroine of an entire skiing nation with her triumph at the World Cup opening in Sölden. The Styrian broke two curses – and finally spoke of help in the darkest moments.

25 October 2025

From Sölden

From:
Christoph Niederkofler

Anyone who has seen the final scenes of The Lion King (1994) in mind, recognized the multifaceted significance of what had happened on Saturday afternoon in the finish area of Sölden. Shortly after Julia Scheib had finished secured the first World Cup victory of her career, the sounds of King of Pride Rock from the aforementioned Disney film. And the musical accompaniment was spot on.

Just as Simba redeemed his animal kingdom, Scheib also broke a seemingly eternal curse. The 27-year-old's celebrated debut marked the first Austrian giant slalom victory since March 2016 in Jasna, ending the ÖSV women's drought of 79 races. Furthermore, the Styrian became the first Austrian Sölden winner since Anna Veith in 2014—and thus, in a sense, became the queen of a long-frustrated skiing nation.

Scheib: “1000 kilos off the shoulders”

Whether at the awards ceremony or during the subsequent interviews, the heroine of the hour appeared visibly relaxed. "1000 kilos have been lifted from my shoulders. That's a unique feeling; it was a crazy race – and a perfect start to the season for me," she explained in a media roundtable. SportNewsThe Austrian was surprised by her comfortable lead of 1,28 seconds in the first run. "But I also know how quickly you can lose a lead like that. Since the others were also really strong, I never thought about using tactics."

“The longer I looked at the scoreboard... It was just like a movie!” Julia Scheib

The moment when she finally achieved the long-awaited feat on the Rettenbachferner was all the more beautiful. "I almost couldn't believe it," Scheib said. "The longer I looked at the scoreboard... It was just like a movie!"

Scheib also experienced dark moments

After two third-place finishes in 2023 and 2024, she now saluted from the top step of the podium for the first time. However, this path was not necessarily predetermined: At 17, Scheib tore both the cruciate ligament and meniscus in her right knee, followed five years later by a cruciate ligament tear in her left knee. "I received enormous support from outside; so many voices repeatedly lifted me up. That was the most crucial thing in the darkest moments," said Scheib. When the Austrian national anthem finally sounded in the finish area in Sölden, the relief was immense. "It was simply a surreal feeling," she emphasized.

A black day for Azzurre

The Azzurre, on the other hand, had a dismal day. Only one rider, Asja Zenere, made it to the deciding round, but the 28-year-old still managed 17th place (+2,76). Sofia Goggia tangled her hand on a right-hand turn in the first run and fell. The two South Tyroleans, Laura Steinmair (41st/+5,07) and Elisa Platino (53rd/+7,08), both clearly missed the chance to advance to the second run.

Asja Zenere celebrated her strong run in the second round. © ANSA / GIAN EHRENZELLER

Steinmair was self-critical afterward: "I could have done better. I was too respectful instead of going full throttle," she admitted. "The track was bumpy, but if you followed the line carefully, it went reasonably well. The fact that I was one of the better athletes on the Italian team isn't a factor."

And then, looking ahead to the fifth World Cup appearance of her career, she admitted: "I was extremely nervous before my start. The day before, I was completely calm, even during the inspection. But when I stood in the starting gate, the excitement was immense."