Italian skier Federica Brignone wins World Cup season opener in Austria

Italian skier Federica Brignone won the women’s World Cup season opener Saturday in Soelden, Austria, after first-run leader Mikaela Shiffrin dropped to fifth.

The American posted only the 27th-fastest time in the second run of the giant slalom and finished 1.61 seconds off the lead.

Brignone defeated Alice Robinson of New Zealand by 0.17, while Austrian skier Julia Scheib trailed by 1.08 in third for her first career podium result.

Britt Richardson was the top Canadian finisher, ending up 2.54 seconds back of Brignone for 17th place.

“That was for sure not what I was expecting,” Brignone said. “This is incredible, for sure, Soelden is one month before all the rest of the season for me, so I will have to work hard, still. This is an amazing start of the season.”

Defending overall champion Lara Gut-Behrami decided shortly before the start to skip the race.

Analyzing her second run, Shiffrin said her timing was off.

“If I miss the timing, then I’m just kind of fighting against the tracks the whole way down. This hill, if you are fighting it, then it is so slow,” said the American, who was aiming for her record-extending 98th career win.

Losing her lead, Shiffrin even finished behind American teammate Katie Hensien, who placed fourth for her career-best result in her first race back from a year-long injury layoff.

Another American, Nina O’Brien, finished seventh and also had a career-best result in her first World Cup race in 19 months after recovering from a fractured left lower leg.

Paula Moltzan placed 11th for what was the strongest team result for the U.S. women’s team in a World Cup giant slalom since 2000, according to a team spokesperson.

Shiffrin wasn’t flawless in the opening section of the first run but beat her opponents with a strong middle part and finish.

“I felt good. My preparation going to this race was quite strong, I am happy with my skiing right now. The only task is to bring more intensity or more aggression, try to find time somewhere,” said Shiffrin, who was hugged by her fiance, injured Norwegian skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, in the finish area.

“I had a moment where I didn’t really trust my direction where I was going,” Shiffrin said. “It wasn’t a big mistake, it takes away your intensity a little bit. But then, after that, I was pushing even harder. Maybe it just took me until the pitch to turn on the gas. But even then it was really strong.”

Holding the women’s record with 22 wins in the discipline, Shiffrin was racing her first GS since injuring her knee in a downhill crash in January. She is leaving the downhill off her schedule this season.

Gut-Behrami didn’t start as she did “not feel 100%.”

The Swiss star, who suffered from knee problems and missed a week of training recently because of the flu, made the decision after course inspection shortly before the race.

“During the inspection, doing the warmup, I understood it was not the day to race. You can not go to the start and feel 90% or have doubts about your health,” Gut-Behrami said. “I don’t want to be injured to stop my career. I just want to be able to understand when it’s over and I don’t think it’s today.”

Gut-Behrami became the oldest winner of the women’s World Cup overall title at 32 last season, overtaking five-time champion Shiffrin on top of the standings in the second half of the season, when the American was out nursing a knee injury. She also won the giant slalom season title.

Gut-Behrami, the Olympic super-G champion and 2021 world champion in GS, previously won the overall title in 2016 and has 45 race wins on the World Cup, including three at the traditional season-opening GS in Soelden.

The men race in Soelden on Sunday, while the women continue with a slalom in Levi, Finland, on Nov. 16.