Alice Robinson returns to podium with giant slalom silver as strong form continues

Alice Robinson finished second in the giant slalom in Sestriere, Italy. Photo / AFP

Kiwi skier Alice Robinson has added to her medal haul for the season, claiming giant slalom silver at the latest FIS World Cup event in Sestriere, Italy, overnight.

Robinson led the field after the first run but was bumped off the top step of the podium by a mere 0.40s by recently crowned world champion Federica Brignone.

Fresh from winning giant slalom gold and super-G silver in Saalbach, Austria, Brignone clocked a combined time of 2m 12.69s to get the better of her Kiwi counterpart.

It’s a result that sees Robinson continue a strong run of recent form. After five podium places in the giant slalom last season, Robinson has now notched up five more this year – including her first World Cup giant slalom win since 2021.

In Sestriere, Italian Brignone was struggling with flu but overcame Robinson with a sensational second run to extend her lead over Lara Gut-Behrami at the top of the overall World Cup standings to 170 points.

Reigning World Cup champion Gut-Behrami did not finish her first run and was not among the 30 skiers contesting the afternoon (local time) showdown.

Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund completed the podium in the Italian Alps, a whopping 1.57s behind Brignone, who claimed her 33rd World Cup win in front of delighted home support.

“It’s been a difficult period, I gave everything I could to make sure I was at 100% for today. I don’t think I’ve ever been forced to do nothing at home for six days,” said Brignone.

“But I knew I was, by concentrating on the two runs, capable of getting a good result ... After the worlds I felt obliged to perform well in front of an Italian crowd.”

American star Mikaela Shiffrin will have to wait a bit longer for her 100th win as she continues her comeback from injury. Two tentative runs left her 4.65s behind Brignone.

Shiffrin was contesting her first giant slalom since crashing out at Killington in November, an accident that left her sidelined for two months with an abdominal puncture wound that required surgery.

The 29-year-old did win the combined team gold at the worlds but was clearly unhappy with her performance and physical condition after finishing in 25th position.

“For the rest of the season, I feel my goal is fighting for some points so I can try to stay in the top 30 in GS [giant slalom], which is a very different position from the last many years when I fighting for podiums. That’s not where I am right now and that’s okay,” said Shiffrin.

“My maximum potential right now is to collect points and today was some points ... The big step today is that I pushed out of the gate, and that’s a step from not racing at all.

“But when you’re usually in the position to be fighting for top 10s, top fives, podiums, it doesn’t feel like such a big step as it actually is.”