Gut-Behrami lands second consecutive giant slalom success, Mikaela Shiffrin comes third in Killington
BySportsbeat
Published 26/11/2023 at 13:56 GMT
The Swiss ace reigned supreme in Killington ahead of Alice Robinson and Mikaela Shiffrin. Gut-Behrami's second run time of 1:53.05 was enough to claim victory, breaking a 22-year record set by compatriot Sonja Nef. She became the first Swiss skier since Nef to win consecutive World Cup giant slalom races. It was an impressive performance from Shiffrin, after moving up from fifth into the podium.
Highlights: Gut-Behrami wins giant slalom in Killington, Shiffrin third
Lara Gut-Behrami claimed her second giant slalom victory in as many races this season by triumphing over home favourite Mikaela Shiffrin in Killington.
The Swiss ace sat third after the first run, when she battled tricky windy conditions, as New Zealand's Alice Robinson posted the only sub-56 second time.
Gut-Behrami was fastest second time around to post an overall time of 1:53.05, enough to top the leaderboard.
Robinson finished second with Shiffrin in third as Gut-Behrami became the first female Swiss skier to win back-to-back World Cup giant slaloms since Sonja Nef in 2001.
"I'm just feeling confident now with my GS skiing so everything feels easier," she said.
"I'm enjoying what I'm doing, so that helps. It's the first time actually that I'm racing with the red (leader's) bib in GS and I keep it, so that's a nice feeling too.
"I'm always trying to improve, to find new motivation, to find new things."
Robinson was delighted to earn a first podium finish since March 2021 as she looks to rediscover the form which saw her win three World Cup giant slaloms as a teenager.
"I was so happy with my first run, it was a bit unexpected," she said.
"And then the second run I wanted to go for it. I definitely had a few mistakes which maybe cost me the win but it was so tight after the first run that anything can happen.
"Second place is amazing."
Shiffrin moved up from fifth after the first run to land the final podium spot and said: "It was pretty much an adventure, a mental adventure.
"I'm really excited that I was able to feel some of my best turns that I was able to do consistently last year."
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