'Just so special': Emotional Robinson prevails in Kronplatz for first World Cup win in four years

Alice Robinson (NZL/Salomon) took the lead in the Giant Slalom standings after picking up a first Audi FIS Ski World Cup win in nearly four years with a near faultless second run at Kronplatz on Tuesday.

Sitting fifth after the first run, Robinson put in a powerful start at the top of her second, and made sure not to back off thereafter as she took the hot seat with a time of 1:55.28, with four skiers left at the top of the hill.

Of those four, Thea Louise Stjernesund (NOR/Rossignol) was unable to put together a mistake-free run and ultimately had to settle for sixth, and there was a shock thereafter as Sara Hector (SWE/Head) lost her balance and overcorrected to crash out of the race and blow the Giant Slalom season wide open.

Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI/Head) was the penultimate athlete on the course and did well to take second, finishing just over half a second behind Robinson. With Federica Brignone (ITA/Rossignol) last on the course, there was an expectation that the home favourite would usurp the Kiwi, but she too lost her balance to record a DNF for the third time in five races this season - handing Robinson a fourth World Cup win of her career.

"I'm really quite speechless," said an emotional Robinson, who has endured difficulty outside of the sport since her first World Cup win as a teenager in 2019.

"I think the last ten races before today I was on the podium eight times and two DNFs.

"It's been four years since I last won and there were definitely some times in those four years where I wasn't sure if I was going to win again, so to be back and winning here is just so special.

"My family's here to watch, and I guess it's just a lot. So much has happened in the last four years, and to get back to winning is really special."

"It's been a challenging road I suppose, a lot of ups and downs," the 23-year-old continued. "This last year my skiing has been so consistently good, and to finally execute and win is just really special.

"I knew after the first run that I had a little mistake, and I just felt like even in the last few races I've been missing that extra gear to push a bit harder and take a few more risks.

"The second run I just wanted to not get to the finish and be like 'I could have done more', so I took a lot of risks. It wasn't perfect, but it was fast.

“I think it was about time that I got a win after the last year. I’m just really grateful.”

It was a first Giant Slalom podium of the season for defending champion Gut-Behrami, who has had five podiums in Super G and Downhill this season but hadn't finished in the top five in Giant Slalom until Kronplatz on Tuesday.

"It was a little bit of a complicated start to the season for me in GS, physically," she said.

"I've had some trouble with my knee and I'm not one who can ski when I feel pain so first of all I had to find my confidence again to wake up every morning and say 'OK, nothing is hurting'.

"Then I had to do the same thing on the skis, to trust myself, to let my skis go and be aggressive.

"It took a little bit more time in GS than in Super G and Downhill, so I'm really happy that right now it's coming back.

"I'm still doing a few mistakes, it's still not perfect but I'm fast and on those results I can build and get some confidence."

Robinson has now taken a four-point lead over Hector at the top of the Giant Slalom standings after Tuesday’s result, a reward for having made it onto a Giant Slalom podium in every race apart from November's stop in Killington.

Brignone now lies in third in the Giant Slalom standings, 100 points behind Robinson after mixing her three DNFs with first-place finishes in Sölden and Semmering.

"I'm just so sorry because in GS I'm skiing really good and I'm making mistakes," Brignone said.

"It's the third race out of five that I'm out and this is kind of making me crazy. It's just a shame.

"I'm just sorry because in front of this crowd, my friends, my fan club, I'm just p***ed really."

Third place in Kronplatz went to Paula Moltzan (USA/Rossignol), whose slightly conservative first run was followed by a second run with much more abandon, which saw her claim a Giant Slalom podium for the first time in her career - improving on her previous personal best of fifth which she achieved twice this season in Semmering and Killington.

"I told myself in the second run that I didn't want to ski like a baby, so I just gave it my all and made mistakes but recovered and kept the speed going," Moltzan said.

Moltzan's second run catapulted her from tenth to third as she claimed a fourth World Cup podium of her career.

"I just wanted to give it my all today and see what would happen," the 30-year-old said. "Sitting in tenth after the first run, it's a tough place to move up from.

"I'm really happy. My family's here so that's really special as always to share it with them.

"My first Slalom podium was also with them there, so I think they're starting to turn into my good luck charms."

Tuesday's Giant Slalom race, the fifth of the season, is the last before the World Championships in Saalbach next month, and Robinson is confident she can carry her momentum to Austria where last year's World Cup finals were held.

"I've been feeling so good on my skis all year," she said. "I was a little bit sick even in the last month, so I was feeling really grateful for those two really solid GS results.

"I felt like I had more to give and I feel like I'm in a good spot for the World Champs.

"I'm really excited to be back in Saalbach because it was so epic at finals."