Queenstown’s Alice Robinson has claimed her fourth careeer World Cup victory, taking the win at the Kronplatz FIS Giant Slalom World Cup in Italy.
It had been four years since Robinson, 23, stood on top of a World Cup podium, with her last win in Lenzerheide in March 2021.
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She was thrilled to be back at one of her favourite race venues.
“I am really quite speechless … 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, to be back winning here is so special.
“I’m just proud, the second run I just really wanted to be brave and ski on the limit and I am really proud of that.”
As Robinson had expected, it was an exceptionally tight race. After the first run the top-eight women were separated by less than a second.
Robinson was sitting in fifth place, +0.49 seconds off the pace of leader Federica Brignone of Italy. Pushing out of the start gate for run two, Robinson knew she needed to produce something special to be in for a shot at the podium.
“I knew after the first run that I had a little mistake, and I felt like the last few races I have been missing that extra gear to push a bit harder and take a few more risks.
“In the second run I just really didn’t want to get to the finish and feel like I could have done more. I took a lot of risks and it wasn’t perfect, but it was fast.” said Robinson
Robinson immediately begun to build speed and increase her advantage, taking the lead by almost a second as she blasted across the finish line.
With the fastest four athletes still to take their second run, Robinson sat nervously in the leader’s seat.
Sara Hector of Sweden and Brignone both recorded uncharacteristic DNFs. The two athletes who completed their runs were no match for Robinson’s lightning-fast second run and she took the win by over half a second.
Robinson was joined on the podium by the 2024 FIS Giant Slalom Crystal Globe winner, Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland in second and Paula Moltzan from the United States third.
Robinson will compete again at the World Ski Championships in the first two weeks of February in Saalbach, Austria.