Alice Robinson, a skier from New Zealand, achieved a groundbreaking victory in the World Cup giant slalom competition held at Copper Mountain in Colorado over the weekend. Clocking in at one minute and 58.91 seconds over two runs, Robinson clinched her fifth career win, solidifying her position as the most successful female World Cup champion from a non-European or North American country as confirmed by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation. This victory allowed her to surpass her compatriot Claudia Riegler in this achievement.
Expressing her pride in representing New Zealand in a predominantly North American and European-dominated sport like ski racing, Robinson emphasized the significance of her win. She maintained a lead of 29-100ths of a second over Sara Hector from Sweden after the initial run and then flawlessly defended her position with an outstanding performance in the second run at an altitude of 3,000 meters (9,850 feet) in Colorado.
The podium saw Julia Scheib from Austria securing second place with a time of 1:59.87, followed by Louise Stjernesund from Norway in third place at 1:59.99. The trio celebrated their achievements together following the race.
On the Canadian front, the athletes faced challenges with none entering the top 10. Valérie Grenier from Mont-Tremblant, Que., initially ranked sixth but slipped to 13th place with a time of 2:00.98 in her 43rd top-20 finish on the World Cup circuit. Grenier expressed disappointment in her performance, despite feeling confident leading up to the race.
Britt Richardson from Canmore, Alta., placed 16th after being in 10th position following the first run, marking her 11th top-20 finish. Unfortunately, three Canadian skiers failed to complete the event, with Arianne Forget from Saint-Jérôme, Que., finishing 42nd and Justine Lamontagne from St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que., along with Cassidy Gray from Panorama, B.C., not completing the first run.
Looking ahead, Mont-Tremblant will host consecutive women’s World Cup giant slalom races on December 6 and 7.