Giada d'Antonio caused quite a stir. © Instagram / giadadantonio_

16-year-old sensation stuns the ski world

At the Schilthorn in the Bernese Alps, a 16-year-old from Italy caused a sensation and triumphed in the first two professional races of her career in an unprecedented way.

20 November 2025

From: never

In alpine skiing, the starting number often carries significant weight. Especially in the World Cup, many athletes, after a mixed run, like to hide behind the number on their chest, which would have meant them facing more challenging slope conditions than those ahead of them. At the Schilthorn in the Bernese Alps, however, a rising star, Giada d'Antonio, stepped into the spotlight, refusing to let her starting number hold her back – and promptly securing two victories in the first two professional races of her young career. We're talking about Giada d'Antonio, a 16-year-old talent from Naples.

On Wednesday, the very young Italian skier catapulted herself out of the starting gate in the FIS slalom, the third tier of competition after the World Cup and European Cup, wearing bib number 82, and finished fourth in the first run of her debut. Elyssa Kuster, the leading local favorite, went into the second run with a 0,59-second advantage over d'Antonio. There, the newcomer surpassed herself and snatched a sensational maiden victory ahead of Kuster (+0,44 seconds), Minna Bont (+0,83), and Juliette Fournier (+1,19). Incidentally, she was 0,91 seconds faster than the fastest competitor in the second run. Ironically, the Italian's triumph prevented a Swiss sweep of the podium.

Double the fun: D'Antonio follows up

The Neapolitan's triumph was no fluke, however; she followed it up just one day later. This time, she started the slalom with bib number 63, but on her second attempt, she took the lead in the first run – by a full 1,00 second over Sarina Dörig of Switzerland. Although she only managed the sixth-fastest time in the final run, d'Antonio wasn't about to let the victory slip away.

Once again, she proved to be the spoilsport for the Swiss women; without the new skiing sensation from Italy, the hosts could have celebrated a 13-fold victory. As it was, Dörig (2nd/+0,45), Kuster (3rd/+0,48), and their teammates had to settle for the places behind d'Antonio. A 100 percent win rate throughout a professional career – not many athletes can boast that.