Alice Robinson from New Zealand made history by clinching a groundbreaking victory in the World Cup giant slalom event at Copper Mountain, Colorado, setting a record with her fifth career win in a time of one minute 58.91 seconds. This achievement makes her the most successful female World Cup winner from a non-European or North American country, as confirmed by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, surpassing her compatriot Claudia Riegler.
Expressing her pride in representing New Zealand in a sport predominantly dominated by North American and European athletes, Robinson highlighted the significance of her accomplishment. She led the race by 29-100ths of a second after the first run and maintained her lead with a flawless second run on the challenging course set at an altitude of 3,000 meters (9,850 feet) in Colorado. Julia Scheib from Austria secured the second position with a time of 1:59.87, while Norway’s Louise Stjernesund completed the podium finishing in 1:59.99.
In contrast, the Canadian athletes faced challenges with none of them managing to break into the top 10 positions. Valérie Grenier from Mont-Tremblant, Que., initially placed sixth but finished 13th in 2:00.98, marking her 43rd top-20 finish in the World Cup circuit. Grenier expressed disappointment in her performance, mentioning that she had high hopes following strong training sessions but failed to deliver in the race.
Britt Richardson from Canmore, Alta., started strong in 10th place after the first run but landed in 16th position with a time of 2:01.24, securing her 11th top-20 finish. Unfortunately, three Canadian athletes did not complete the event, with Arianne Forget from Saint-Jérôme, Que., finishing 42nd, Justine Lamontagne from St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que., and Cassidy Gray from Panorama, B.C., failing to finish the first run.
Looking ahead, Mont-Tremblant is set to host consecutive women’s World Cup giant slalom races on December 6-7.
(Source: CBC)