‘It’s just incredible’: Brignone wins ninth race of season to set up thrilling GS Globe finale

When Federica Brignone (ITA/Rossignol) finishes a Giant Slalom race, she wins. That is a reality her rivals have had to come to terms with.

On Saturday, the Italian dominated once more in Are, Sweden to pick up her eighth top-level GS victory in the past 12 months. That streak comprises seven Audi FIS World Cup GS wins plus the 2025 World Championship GS gold, alongside three additional World Cup GS races, all of which Brignone failed to finish.

It is a quite extraordinary run and one which Brignone underlined in style on one of her favorite hills as she recorded both the fastest first and second runs to finish in a time of one minute 52.67 seconds. That put her a remarkable 1.36 seconds ahead of the field, and elevated her into third place on the list of all-time women’s World Cup GS winners.

Alice Robinson (NZL/Salomon) has enjoyed her own brilliant GS season but in a sign of just how fast Brignone is right now – when she makes it to the finish – her nearest rival was way back on Saturday.

Still, second place for Robinson, the seventh time in succession that she has been on the GS podium this season (a streak that includes her World Championship silver medal) keeps her 20 points ahead of Brignone in the race for the GS Crystal Globe. It all sets up for a thrilling conclusion to the season at the looming World Cup Finals in Sun Valley, USA.

In what is turning into a golden age for women’s GS skiing, Lara Colturi (ALB/Blizzard) gave yet more notice of her stunning talent. The 18-year-old flew to her second career World Cup GS podium, finishing 1.43 seconds back in third.

The teenager’s exploits meant Thea Louise Stjernesund (NOR/Rossignol) was left once again ruing the milliseconds. The Norwegian has now ended fourth four times on GS skis this season, a run that included missing out on World Championship bronze by one-hundredth-of-a-second.

Sofia Goggia (ITA/Atomic) might be envious of that kind of consistency. The speed specialist keeps threatening to do something special on the GS skis but, after recording the second quickest time in run one and charging down the first half of her second run, the Italian lost an edge over a roller and skied out. Her wait for a GS podium – stretching back more than five years – goes on.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s (USA/Atomic) push to return to her best on the GS skis will also have to wait. The American has struggled to find her confidence in the discipline since returning from injury and she skied out early in run one.

Shiffrin did at least get to appreciate some of the course set by her coach Karin Harjo – the first time a woman has set a GS course on the World Cup circuit. A special moment on International Women's Day.

Brignone gets better and better

But once again on the course, it was all about Goggia’s teammate. Brignone, who leads the Overall and the Downhill Crystal Globe standings and sits second in Super G and GS, has more often than not been simply untouchable this season.

Not even a big mistake on the final section, which saw the Italian almost hit the snow, could stop her from claiming World Cup win number nine. A feat that sees her match fellow all-time greats Mikaela Shiffrin (USA/Atomic), Lindsey Vonn (USA/Head) and Tina Maze (SLO), among others.

“I really like Are, it is one of my favorite GS on the tour. I love this snow. It was a bit slippery. I thought I was not pushing enough and I was really trying to push until the end and then I had that mistake and I said ‘Oh no, this is over’. So, I tried really to push and it was an amazing day again,” Brignone said.

“Since last year here in Are (when she won the GS) I have so many good memories, it is an amazing moment for me. I am so happy.

The 34-year-old now has 36 World Cup wins to her name, pulling her up into equal ninth on the list of all-time winners. And perhaps more relevantly for her right now, it puts her in a great position to grab four Crystal Globes this season. Even if she will have to somehow find a way to jump past the brilliantly consistent Robinson.

“It’s an amazing fight. She is an amazing skier and I am happy to fight for this and have such a great skier that plays with me,” Brignone said, before turning her attention to that showdown in Sun Valley on 25 March.

“I have to just win again.”

Robinson eyes up ‘final chance’ to better Brignone

Right now Robinson knows she can only stand and applaud her rival’s excellence, even if she is somehow managing to stay ahead in the points race.

“Fede has just been so amazing, all these wins, but I guess me just sticking close and getting second, that’s keeping the points with me for the moment,” said Robinson, who has now finished second three times to Brignone on the World Cup tour this season. “So, it’s cool that we get to have a final shootout in Sun Valley in a couple of weeks.”

Should she turn it round and beat Brignone at those World Cup Finals, Robinson will become the first New Zealander ever to win a Crystal Globe.

The New Zealander then revealed her tactics, as she responded to a question asking whether she had spoken to Brignone post-race.

“No, not yet but I think I am just going to be like, can she just slow down now,” Robinson laughed.

Colturi finds ‘perfect solution’

Colturi is another who will not forget the 2024/25 season in a hurry. The Albanian racer lined up for the opener in Sölden in October having never had a World Cup podium, now she has two in GS and one in Slalom – and she has started mastering conditions not naturally suited to her.

“For sure it was a tough race especially for me in this kind of snow. I was not feeling that great but I found a nice solution, the perfect solution, so I am really happy,” Colturi said.

“I love it when it’s icy and I know I can push on the skis. When it is soft, I cannot do this so I am feeling not that comfortable. But I am happy I found it. I am really proud of me, we have done really nice work with my team.”

Next step for the GS specialists, those Finals in Sun Valley.