Julia Scheib Dominates Kronplatz Giant Slalom for Fourth Season Win

Austria’s Julia Scheib continued her commanding Alpine skiing season with a fourth World Cup victory in the women’s giant slalom, conquering the demanding Erta slope in Kronplatz on Tuesday (20 January) in what many athletes described as "perfect conditions". The win carried deep significance for the 27-year-old from the Styria region on a hill that had denied her repeatedly in the past. After three DNFs and one DNQ on the Erta, the Austrian finally overcame her Kronplatz hurdle. “I had tough years here, but today I tried to give it all, and it worked. I’m really happy,” Scheib told Eurosport after her win. Camille Rast finished second, 0.37 seconds behind the World Cup ranking leader, after a strong second run, while Olympic champion Sara Hector completed the podium in third (+0.46). Hector had led after the opening run on a course set by her coach, giving her early insight on a hill that demanded absolute commitment from top to bottom. However, the margins remained razor-thin once the second run unfolded. Team USA’s Mikaela Shiffrin finished just off the podium in fourth, still yet to find her first podium in giant slalom this season. “Fourth [place] is interesting because from where I was last year, I would have dreamed of getting fourth, no problem," Shiffrin said in her post-race interview. "But now I want more. I just have to keep moving in my skiing a little bit to earn that podium spot.” Shiffrin also pointed to the level required to fight for the win on a course like Kronplatz. “You have to go perfect, no mistakes, full intensity,” she said. “When I go in full intensity, I still have some mistakes, so there’s more work to do.” But the story that captured everyone's hearts was Federica Brignone, who finished an impressive sixth in her emotional return to World Cup racing after nearly 300 days away following a serious injury, continuing her steady push toward a home Olympic Games at Milano Cortina 2026. Brignone admitted the moment almost overwhelmed her before she even pushed out of the start gate. “This morning when I was inspecting, I said, oh wow, I’m here, really, we’re here, I’m racing,” she said. On a course she called “really, really intense and turny,” she explained that the run only began to flow once she reminded herself to breathe. “The feeling was so so, but the emotions were really big,” she added. “It’s been amazing.” The demanding nature of the course was evident throughout the afternoon, with three skiers failing to finish the second run and home favourite Sofia Goggia ending her day early in the first. The last World Cup giant slalom before the Olympic Winter Games break is set for Špindlerův Mlýn, Czechia, on 24 January.