Alpine skiing World Cup 23/24: Valerie Grenier wins rainy Kranjska Gora giant slalom as Shiffrin finishes ninth - Results
Canada's Grenier took her second career World Cup victory, repeating her win in Slovenia in 2023. Mikaela Shiffrin struggled with the conditions and was 1.88 seconds behind the winner.
Alpine Skiing
Canada's Valerie Grenier claimed her second career FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup victory with a storming second run in wet snow to win the Kranjska Gora giant slalom in Slovenia on Saturday (6 January 2024).
The rainy conditions did no one any favours, providing for slushy conditions on the slopes and seeing two of the pre-race favourites, Mikaela Shiffrin and Petra Vlhova, both finish off the podium.
Shiffrin's first run was well off the leading pace, nearly a full second behind early leader Vlhova as the course deteriorated. Vlhova and Italy's Federica Brignone, second and first down the Podkoren 3 in the opening run respectively, found themselves safe at the top of the leaderboard.
The American struggled as she headed down the wet slopes second time around, posting only the 22nd-fastest second run of the 30 skiers, her combined time of 1:52.39 placing her in ninth, nearly two seconds behind the eventual winner.
Canada's Grenier, who won at Kranjska Gora last season, put in a storming second run to take just her third career podium and second win. With the second run course set by her coach, Grenier – fourth after the first run – took full advantage and skied an aggressive final two sectors on the Podkoren to post the fastest run at 53.61 seconds for a combined 1:50.51.
With Lara Gut-Behrami, Brignone and Vlhova were all unable to find the right line through the slush, Grenier was left to celebrate a fantastic win, beating Gut-Behrami by 0.37 seconds.
Brignone was third, 0.51 seconds behind the Canadian winner, with Vlhova off the podium in fourth.
"I feel like I have no words, I'm just so happy, so proud, it's crazy," Grenier said to FIS TV. "I wanted to do as well as I could, I was hoping for a podium. After the first run I was pretty mad at myself for my mistakes, and after the first run I really wanted to win because I was so [annoyed]."
The women race again at Kranjska Gora on Sunday, this time in a slalom.
Kranjska Gora, FIS World Cup: Results of women's giant slalom on Saturday 6 January 2024 (top 10)
- Valerie Grenier (CAN) 1:50.51
- Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) +0.37
- Federica Brignone (ITA) +0.51
- Petra Vlhova (SVK) +0.61
- Thea Louise Stjernesund (NOR) +1.18
- Sara Hector (SWE) +1.59
- Franziska Gritsch (AUT) +1.69
- Alice Robinson (NZL) +1.77
- Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) +1.88
- Marta Bassino (ITA) +1.90