At a Glance
- Julia Scheib wins World Cup giant slalom in Semmering, Austria.
- She leads the GS discipline with an 88-point advantage heading into the Olympics.
- Mikaela Shiffrin finishes sixth, still chasing podium form.
- Why it matters: The win ends Austria’s nine-year drought in the discipline and positions Scheib as a top medal contender for the Milan Cortina Games.
On Saturday in Semmering, just weeks before the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, Austrian skier Julia Scheib captured a World Cup giant slalom title on home snow, beating Switzerland’s Camille Rast by 0.14 seconds and Sweden’s Olympic champion Sara Hector by 0.40. The victory not only ends Austria’s nine-year drought in the discipline but also gives Scheib an 88-point lead in the GS standings.
Race Highlights
**Julia Scheib‘s run was a story of resilience. After a shaky first run, she surged ahead in the second, finishing 0.14 seconds faster than Rast and 0.40 behind Hector. Mikaela Shiffrin, the record holder with 22 GS victories, finished sixth, 1.45 seconds behind Scheib.
- 1st – Julia Scheib (Austria) – 1:24.35
- 2nd – Camille Rast (Switzerland) – 1:24.49
- 3rd – Sara Hector (Sweden) – 1:24.75
> “It’s crazy, I never thought it would be the win. It was so tough, it was so bumpy, and I was so relieved when I came into the finish,”
> Julia Scheib
> “I got unlucky and off balance and I pressured in a bad spot and just went face flat,”
> Alice Robinson
| Position | Skier | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julia Scheib | 1:24.35 |
| 2 | Camille Rast | 1:24.49 |
| 3 | Sara Hector | 1:24.75 |
Rivalry and Standings
Alice Robinson, Scheib’s main rival in GS, crashed in the first run, allowing the Austrian to overtake her and enter the Olympic year with an 88-point lead. Mikaela Shiffrin is still regaining form after a serious crash last year; she noted the second run was the biggest test, describing it as “bumpy” and “manageable” rather than fast.
> “So far this season, the second run, that was maybe the biggest test for me. I was really quite scared, actually,”
> Mikaela Shiffrin
> “I knew it would be bumpy from the first run and I didn’t really feel after the first run that I could tackle this again,”
> Mikaela Shiffrin
Sara Hector was chasing her first victory in nearly a year, having last won a race in Slovenia in early January. She praised Scheib’s performance, saying, “Julia skied really well, I stepped on the brakes a little bit, you cannot do that.”
> “Julia skied really well, I stepped on the brakes a little bit, you cannot do that,”
> Sara Hector
Key Takeaways
- Julia Scheib takes a World Cup GS title and an 88-point lead in the discipline.
- Mikaela Shiffrin finishes sixth, still aiming for podiums after a crash-injured season.
- Alice Robinson**’s crash opens the way for Scheib’s Olympic-year advantage.
With the Olympic giant slalom scheduled for February 15, Scheib’s victory solidifies her status as a medal favorite while Austria reclaims its place at the top of the GS standings.
