Federica Brignone becomes oldest woman to win Alpine skiing World Cup race

Italian Federica Brignone became the oldest woman to win an Alpine skiing World Cup race, overtaking first-run leader Mikaela Shiffrin in the season opener Saturday.

Brignone, 34, prevailed by 17 hundredths of a second over New Zealand’s Alice Robinson combining times over two giant slalom runs in Sölden, Austria.

She celebrated with a chicken dance and displaced Austrian Elisabeth Görgl as the oldest woman to win an Alpine skiing World Cup race. Görgl won a super-G in 2014 at age 33.

“I’m a bit crazy, but this is why I like it,” Brignone said. “I’m still around because I have fun also.”

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Brignone earned her first World Cup win in Sölden nine years ago and is now up to 28 victories, second in Italian history behind Alberto Tomba’s 50. She also won the World Cup overall title in 2019-20, plus three medals each at the Olympics and world championships (her first in 2011).

Shiffrin, eyeing a 98th World Cup victory, led after the first run by 22 hundredths over Robinson, then had the 27th-fastest second run out of the 28 finishers.

“Clearly just need a little bit more time to dial in the right intensity,” Shiffrin told Austrian broadcaster ORF. “Normally these differences are kind of simple to fix. Just requires some determination. I tried to take some risk, but maybe in the wrong way.”

Shiffrin ended up fifth overall, one spot behind countrywoman Katie Hensien, who had the fastest second run, and two ahead of Nina O’Brien.

The U.S. put three women in the top seven of a World Cup GS for the first time since 1992 and four in the top 11 for the first time since 1985.

Hensien and O’Brien, who each missed last season after left leg surgery, posted the best World Cup finish of each’s career.

“We were really there for each other in the rehab, so this is amazing,” O’Brien said, according to U.S. Ski and Snowboard.

Shortly before Saturday’s first run, 2023-24 World Cup overall champion Lara Gut-Behrami withdrew, saying in a tearful interview that she wasn’t 100% and didn’t want to risk injury. Gut-Behrami, a 33-year-old Swiss, reportedly said earlier this week that she recently dealt with a knee injury and the flu.

The women’s Alpine World Cup resumes Nov. 17 in Levi, Finland, with Shiffrin’s trademark event of slalom.

Her primary slalom rival for the last several years — Slovakian Petra Vlhova — is out at least through Levi as she works her way back from right knee surgery last winter.