Sara Hector celebrates wildly at the finish line. © APA/afp / MICHAL CIZEK

Hector and Shiffrin end the dry spell

More than a year after her last World Cup victory, Sara Hector returned to the top step of the podium. The Swede left everyone behind in Saturday's giant slalom in Spindleruv Mlyn (Czech Republic). Mikaela Shiffrin also ended a winless streak.

24 January 2026

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Hector, who was already two hundredths of a second ahead of Switzerland's Camille Rast after the first run, kept her composure in the second run and celebrated her eighth World Cup victory (all in giant slalom). The Swede's last victory was over a year ago in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.

The other podium places went to Americans Paula Moltzan (+0,18 sec.) and Mikaela Shiffrin (+0,23). Shiffrin last stood on the podium in a giant slalom just over two years ago. Lara Della Mea was the best Italian, finishing seventh (+2,98).

The women's podium with (from left) Paula Motzan, Sara Hector and Mikaela Shiffrin. © APA/afp / MICHAL CIZEK

The decision regarding the women's giant slalom crystal globe is therefore postponed. Switzerland's Camille Rast finished fourth and, with two races remaining in the discipline World Cup standings, trails Austria's Julia Scheib by 89 points. Scheib, who was third after the first run, crashed out in the second. Hector also still has a chance at the crystal globe.

Anna Trocker narrowly misses the final

No South Tyrolean women participated in the second run on Saturday. Anna Trocker, just 17 years old and from Völs, missed her first-ever qualification for the second run by only ten hundredths of a second, finishing 31st. Laura Steinmair (41st) from Olang, however, clearly missed the final.