Alpine ski World Cup 23/24: Sara Hector wins Jasna giant slalom ahead of Mikaela Shiffrin
The Swedish Olympic champion in the event returned to the top of the World Cup podium for the first time since 2022. U.S. legend Mikaela Shiffrin finished runner-up with Alice Robinson taking third.
Alpine Skiing
Reigning Olympic champion Sara Hector of Sweden dominated the hill in the women’s giant slalom to claim her first Alpine skiing FIS World Cup victory of the season in Jasna, Slovakia, on Saturday (20 January).
Hector built on her one-second lead over U.S. legend Mikaela Shiffrin from the opening run to claim her first giant slalom win on the World Cup circuit since January 2022. The 31-year-old Hector dominated both runs for a combined time of two minutes, 17.80 seconds (2:17.80), finishing 1.52 ahead of Shiffrin.
Shiffrin delivered an impressive second run, which sent her into the lead before Hector reclaimed her position at the top. The American finished second with a time of 2:19.32, with New Zealander Alice Robinson taking third in 2:20.51.
“It is so amazing! The snow was perfect. It is an amazing race, and I had so much fun skiing today,” Hector told the FIS afterwards.
“This morning, I was nervous, and lately, there has been a lot of thinking, but it seems like it was good because I’ve been skiing better and better. Today was just crazy.”
The day’s racing was slightly overshadowed by a crash from local hero and Olympic slalom champion Petra Vlhova, who reportedly suffered a knee injury during the first run after she lost her balance and slid into the safety net.
Italian ace Federica Brignone, who led the giant slalom standings ahead of the race, also had a fall during the first run but came out of the crash unscathed. Her fall bumped her down into second place, with Lara Gut-Behrami replacing her at the top.
Shiffrin still leads the overall World Cup standings, with the injured Vlhova trailing her by 307 points in second place.
Jasna, FIS World Cup: Results from women's giant slalom, 20 January 2024 (top 10)
- Sara Hector (SWE) 2:17.80
- Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) +1.52
- Alice Robinson (NZL) +2.71
- Zrinka Ljutic (CRO) +4.33
- Thea Louise Stjernesund (NOR) +4.40
- Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) +4.49
- AJ Hurt (USA) +4.60
- Ragnhild Mowinckel (NOR) +4.64
- Camille Rast (SUI) +5.03
- Kajsa Vickhoff Lie (NOR) +5.52