Sofia Goggia and Hermann Maier. © Social Media

Goggia and Maier: A meeting of two ski giants

In the lead-up to the women's giant slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, a special encounter between two ski legends took place on Friday.

02 January 2026

From: sn

Together they boast three Olympic gold medals, eight World Championship medals, 81 World Cup victories, and 14 small crystal globes. The athletes in question are Sofia Goggia and Hermann Maier, who bumped into each other on Saturday after training. A visibly impressed Goggia posted a picture on social media and commented: "Legendary encounters, Hermann Maier!"

Whether the visit from the "Herminator" will bring the Italian skier luck will be revealed on Saturday at 10 a.m., when the first run of the giant slalom begins on the Podkoren slope. Goggia certainly has fond memories of Kranjska Gora: almost exactly eight years ago, she achieved her last podium finish in this discipline here. The victory went to Mikaela Shiffrin back then, who is aiming for her first top-three finish in the giant slalom this season on Saturday. Incidentally, Maier was denied a victory in Kranjska Gora: the Austrian finished second in the giant slalom in both 1998 and 2005.

Two daredevils

Goggia and Maier share heroic Olympic moments: In 2022, the Italian won the silver medal in the downhill in Beijing just weeks after suffering a partial cruciate ligament tear. In 1998, the Austrian, on the other hand, became a legend in Nagano when he triumphed in the Super-G just two days after his serious downhill crash and later also won the giant slalom.

Sofia Goggia is ready for the next race. © Pentaphoto

Besides the Bergamasque skier's performance, the second World Cup appearance of 17-year-old Anna Trocker is also generating considerable interest on Saturday. The skier from Völs will start with bib number 58 and, along with Laura Steinmair from Olang, who will start with bib number 42, is one of two South Tyrolean skiers in the field. The favorites are Maier's compatriot Julia Scheib and New Zealander Alice Robinson, who have each won two giant slalom races this season.

Katharina Liensberger, however, will be absent, having suffered a serious injury in training and being out for the rest of the season. The Austrian woman will undergo surgery on Friday at the Hochrum Clinic in Innsbruck.