Nicknamed ‘the tigress’, Brignone delivered a commanding performance on the Cortina course, finishing 0.62 seconds ahead of a joint second-place pairing: defending champion Sara Hector of Sweden and Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund. American star Mikaela Shiffrin narrowly missed the top 10, placing 11th, 0.92 seconds off the pace.
Brignone’s victory marks a remarkable comeback. Just ten months ago, she was sidelined by a serious injury and had only recently returned to competition. Her dominant display in the giant slalom underlines her status as one of the sport’s leading figures.
Luxembourg’s Gwyneth Ten Raa also impressed, finishing 30th among the world’s elite at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. The skier from Wiltz clocked 1:06.60 in the first run to sit 34th before improving her standing in the second run with a time of 1:12.85. She ultimately finished 5.95 seconds behind Brignone, securing a notable top-30 result on the Olympic stage.
On Saturday, fellow Luxembourg skier Matthieu Osch placed 46th in the same discipline.
