Federica Brignone made history by winning the giant slalom gold medal at the 2025 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Saalbach on February 13. She is the first Italian to achieve this in 28 years, following Deborah Compagnoni’s victory in 1997.
The 34-year-old athlete dominated both runs, recording the fastest time on the challenging Schneekristall/Zwölfer course. In her second run, she finished strong, increasing her lead over Alice Robinson to nearly a full second.
Brignone’s final combined time was 2:22.71, marking her long-awaited triumph in giant slalom at the World Championships.
After her win, Brignone expressed her joy, saying, “I really don’t know what to say. This was my dream to be a gold medallist in GS. I’ve been dreaming of this moment for many years but was always second. This is one of the best days of my life.”
On the other hand, Alice Robinson from New Zealand made history herself. At just 23, she became the first skier from her country to win a medal at the Alpine World Championships, taking home the silver. Robinson had an impressive second run, finishing with a combined time of 2:23.61, which put pressure on Brignone.
Paula Moltzan managed to secure the bronze medal with a combined time of 2:23.63, edging out Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund by just 0.01 seconds. Moltzan had experienced disappointment in the Alpine team combined event but redeemed herself here.
Looking ahead, the men’s giant slalom race is set for February 14, while the women will compete in the slalom on February 15.
