Alice Robinson, hailing from New Zealand, clinched a historic win in the World Cup giant slalom event held at Copper Mountain in Colorado over the weekend. This victory marked her fifth career win, completing the two runs in a remarkable time of one minute and 58.91 seconds. As a result, she now holds the title of the most successful women’s World Cup winner from a non-European or North American country, as confirmed by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation. This achievement surpassed the previous tie she held with fellow New Zealander Claudia Riegler.
Expressing her pride in representing New Zealand in a predominantly North American and European sport, Robinson shared her joy at the accomplishment. Leading by 29-100ths of a second after the first run, Robinson maintained her edge with an exceptional second run on the challenging course set at an altitude of 3,000 meters (9,850 feet) in Colorado. Following her, Julia Scheib of Austria secured the second position with a time of 1:59.87, while Louise Stjernesund from Norway completed the podium with a time of 1:59.99.
On the other hand, the Canadian skiers faced challenges in the competition, failing to break into the top 10 rankings. Valérie Grenier from Mont-Tremblant, Que., started strong in the opening run, securing the sixth position but ultimately finished 13th with a time of 2:00.98. Expressing disappointment with her performance, Grenier acknowledged the contrast between her training and race-day results.
Additionally, Britt Richardson from Canmore, Alta., initially placed 10th after the first run but ended in 16th position with a time of 2:01.24, marking her 11th top-20 finish. Unfortunately, three Canadian participants did not complete the event, with Arianne Forget from Saint-Jérôme, Que., finishing 42nd and Justine Lamontagne from St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que., and Cassidy Gray from Panorama, B.C., not finishing the first run.
Looking ahead, Mont-Tremblant is set to host consecutive women’s World Cup giant slalom events on December 6-7.