At the giant slalom in Kranjska Gora, Valerie Grenier caused a big surprise – after she had never been on the podium before.
Valerie Grenier had the best push on the partly thawed, partly icy course in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, at the giant slalom World Cup. The Canadian showed no nerves and celebrated her first World Cup success. Second place went to the Italian Marta Bassino in the Julian Alps. Technology specialist Petra Vlhova (SVK) was third.
Grenier puts Shiffrin & Co under pressure
Grenier had already stirred up the competition in the first run. The Canadian relegated world champion Lara Gut-Behrami to second place by four hundredths of a second.
Italy’s Federica Brignone was also only 0.16 seconds short of Grenier’s best time. And because teammate Marta Bassino (+0.24), US ski star Mikaela Shiffrin (+0.31) and technology specialist Petra Vhlova (+0.36/SVK) were also in close proximity to the podium places, the final promised an exciting one Battle for the decisive hundredths of a second.
Shiffrin not on the podium this time
The top five of the first race started to distribute the podium: Vlhova (+0.40) shot through the course and set the mark for the competitors. Shiffrin did not drive quite as explosively and at the same time shared sixth place with Coralie Frasse Sombet from France. Brignone also lost the targeted podium place.
Bassino (+0.37), on the other hand, moved up to second place, which Gut-Behrami was unable to defend despite the attack. But Grenier didn’t let the victory be taken away from him. She drove aggressively through the course and in a total time of 1:55.01 minutes to victory.
No DSV starter in the final
DSV starter Jessica Hilzinger (+2.60), like technical specialist Lena Dürr, missed the second round.