'Again the oldest winner': Brignone extends record with another GS victory

As the clock keeps ticking on the elite ski racing career of Federica Brignone (ITA/Rossignol), the wins somehow keep piling up.

The 34-year-old Brignone extended her own record as the oldest women's Alpine skiing World Cup winner, triumphing in Saturday's Giant Slalom in the Austrian resort of Semmering.

Leading after the first run, Brignone built a commanding lead in the second run and despite an error near the finish, she won comfortably ahead of Sara Hector (SWE/Head, +0.57s) and Alice Robinson (NZL/Salomon, +0.90s).

"I'm again the oldest winner, I would like to beat my record once again," Brignone said, before adding that her focus is on continuing to improve, regardless of age.

"I'm just trying to get better and better. Mikaela (Shiffrin, USA/Head), Lara (Gut-Behrami, SUI/Head) and all the girls, also Sara lately and also my teammates, they have been pushing me a lot, every year more and more.

"I need to push my limit even higher every year."

She is certainly doing that, as the evergreen skier has now won four of the last five Giant Slalom races on tour, with 14 of her Italian women's record of 29 World Cup wins coming after her 30th birthday.

The Rossignol skier was nearly flawless on Saturday, edging Gut-Behrami on the bottom section of the first run to take the lead and then skiing superbly from the front as the last skier out of the gate in the second run.

"It was not easy the second run, but the slope was amazing," said Brignone, who also won her 14th World Cup Giant Slalom race to move up to equal fifth on the all-time women's list.

It was Brignone's first podium in Semmering, where she had previously finished in the top 10 only four times in 10 World Cup starts.

"It (Semmering) was a target for me this year, I said, 'I have to be good there,'" said Brignone, who was the first Italian woman to win in the Austrian resort since Karen Putzer (ITA) in 2002.

"I like actually the slope, but it never came to me, so I really wanted this."

As did Gut-Behrami, who had put herself within striking distance of becoming the first woman to win 10 or more World Cup races in three Alpine skiing disciplines with a solid first run, just 0.15 seconds behind Brignone.

But as the second-last skier on the second run, the Swiss star caught her left hand on a gate early in the challenge, sending her skis sideways and ending her chances of victory, although she still skied out the race and finished ninth.

Gut-Behrami's misfortune handed Robinson her second podium of the season, but the New Zealander revealed that she had doubted herself going into the race after failing to finish the first run in Killington the last time out in late November.

"I was feeling quite frazzled after the DNF in Killington and a little bit nervous about today," Robinson admitted.

"And I felt like I let a bit of my confidence get to me in the first run, so I was a little bit hesitant on some turns, but I felt like in the second run I really charged and went for it.

"It wasn't perfect but the intent was there, so I'm happy."

Sandwiched between Brignone and Robinson was Olympic Giant Slalom champion Hector, whose runner-up performance was also her first podium in Semmering.

After a hesitant start in the first run, Hector had an excellent bottom section to go third, and then moved up a spot in the second run when Gut-Behrami stumbled, despite not being in Brignone's class on the day.

"Brignone was skiing really good, she was pushing a lot (on the) second run — I didn't really have that gas in me," Hector admitted.

The Swede lost her red bib as the World Cup Giant Slalom leader to the Italian, but knows what she needs to do to get it back next Saturday in Kranjska Gora.

"Brignone's a little bit ahead of me - now I have to ski faster," she said.