Federica Brignone wins a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin is third
Heavy snow obscures Federica Brignone of Italy as she speeds down the course in the women's World Cup giant slalom race in Mont Tremblant, Que., Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. Credit: AP/Sean Kilpatrick
TREMBLANT, Quebec — Federica Brignone of Italy won a second consecutive women’s World Cup giant slalom, turning in a terrific second run Sunday that left her ahead of Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland and American Mikaela Shiffrin.
Brignone was only sixth after the opening leg. But the Italian came back with the fastest second leg for a combined time of 2 minutes, 11.95 seconds.
Gut-Behrami was 0.33 seconds back. Shiffrin finished 0.39 off the pace but added to her lead over Petra Vlhova of Slovakia in the overall World Cup standings.
Vlhova led after the first run Sunday, then ended up fifth. Shiffrin was in second place after the opening run.
Neither was within 1 1/2 seconds of Brignone's time of 1:04.27 for the second trip down the course.
Shiffrin has won five overall titles, including the past two, while Vlhova was the champion in 2021.
Gut-Behrami has won two of the season's first three giant slaloms to lead the discipline standings heading into Sunday.
Mikaela Shiffrin of the USA takes part in course inspection prior to the women's World Cup giant slalom in Mont Tremblant, Que., Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. Credit: AP/Sean Kilpatrick
Vlhova finished second in each of the past two races — Brignone in a giant slalom Saturday on Mont Tremblant, which hadn't hosted the World Cup in 40 years, and to Shiffrin in a slalom at Killington, Vermont, last weekend.
Sara Hector of Sweden, the GS gold medalist at the Beijing Olympics last year, was 12th on Sunday.
