Robinson opens 2025 on the podium
Alice Robinson has started 2025 with a bang, claiming the thirteenth World Cup podium of her career with a third place finish at the FIS Giant Slalom World Cup held in Slovenia overnight NZT.
The Queenstown 23-year-old says: “I am really happy with another podium, it’s great. I knew I could have done better on the first run – I skied solid but it was just too conservative. For my second run, I just didn’t want to think as much and just wanted to attack and go for it, I think I found a good balance between pushing and being smart with the tactics.”
Robinson’s coach Tim Cafe set the course for the first run on the incredibly firm and icy piste. Coaches will always set a course that plays to their athlete’s strengths, and Robinson made the most of the opportunity putting down a solid first run which had her sitting in fourth position.
Robinson says she knew she had to give it everything for her second run and powered out of the start gate, pushing hard on the opening turns and skiing the course from top to bottom with her trademark aggressive and dynamic style, taking the leaders seat with just three athletes to go.
The firm snow conditions caused upset for some, but it was just what Robinson was looking for and she made the most of the favourable conditions: “It was amazing [the slope], the surface was unbelievable, a perfect mixture of icy but not too slick and it was super nice, it was great.”
Thea Louise Stjernesund of Norway, who was sitting in third, was unable to claim the leader’s seat off Robinson, guaranteeing Robinson a podium with just two skiers left to take on the course.
2022 Olympic Champion Sara Hector of Sweden took the win today by an astounding +1.42 after putting down two incredible runs. Eighteen-year-old Lara Colturi of Albania finished in second place, with Robinson in third just ten hundredths of a second off the pace of Colturi.
Robinson has finished on the podium three out of four times in the 2025 Giant Slalom season and is currently sitting in second equal in the Giant Slalom World Cup standings.
Robinson will now switch skis and gears and will be focussed on the upcoming speed races in St Anton, Switzerland next weekend.
