Silver for Robinson at GS World Cup finals

Queenstown alpine ski star Alice Robinson has secured a thrilling second place at the Giant Slalom World Cup finals in Austria.

On Sunday night (NZ time), the 22-year-old took her fifth podium of the season and the tenth World Cup podium of her career.

"I am really happy to end the season with another podium, I think this year I may not have got a win but I feel like the consistency in my skiing has been the best it’s ever been so I am really happy with that."

Only the top giant slalom athletes qualified for the finals in Saalbach.

Robinson was quick off the mark, with the green light through the first section of the course. She continued to keep her foot on the gas and maintained her speed throughout her entire first run. After run one Robinson was sitting in third, +0.85 seconds behind leader Federica Brignone of Italy.

Going into run two, Robinson was fast out the start gate, making quick work of the top three sections. As she came over the breakaway into the final pitch of the race, it was clear just how hard she was working to maintain her form down the increasingly rough course.

 

"Today was definitely tough, I find these conditions quite challenging with the softer, peeling snow, but this year I have made a lot of progress getting better on different conditions. It was hot and I was feeling pretty tired but I wanted to give the last GS run of the year a good crack!”

Robinson had done enough to claim the top spot and with just two athletes left to go she knew she had secured a medal. Thea Louise Stjernesund (NOR) was no match for Robinson’s pace but run one leader Brignone (ITA) put down an exceptional run to take the win by -1.36 seconds. Stjernesund rounded out the podium in third.

Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami finished off an exceptional season by securing the 2024 Giant Slalom Crystal Globe for the first time in her decorated career.

Saalbach is the venue for the 2025 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships, so a podium finish for Robinson bodes well for next season. Robinson will be in action for the final time this Northern Hemisphere season at the Saalbach speed races next weekend.

Meanwhile, Queenstown's Ruby Star Andrews, 19, and Wānaka's Luca Harrington both secured top 10 finishes at the Freeski World Cup held in Tignes, France over the weekend.

Andrews took on some of the best in the world in the women’s Freeski Slopestyle World Cup finals, putting down an impressive first run, which included three different direction corked 900 spins on the three jumps as well as executing solid tricks on the technical rails.

Earlier on Saturday (NZT) Harrington finished in ninth place in the men’s Freeski Big Air World Cup finals. Harrington put down a heater of a first run, stomping a switch right double corked 1800 with a Japan grab. He was unable to pair this trick with another of equal calibre, and settled for ninth place in the hotly contested competition.

Harrington had also qualified through to the finals in the men’s Freeski Slopestyle in fourth place, but after his crash in the Big Air event, he decided to rest up before the upcoming Slopestyle World Cup in Switzerland.

Luca Harrington competing under the lights at the Big Air World Cup finals. Photo: Chad Buchholz / FIS Freestyle

On the Snowboard side, Lyon Farrell (Arrowtown, 25) and Tiarn Collins (Queenstown, 24) both qualified through to the heavy hitting men’s Snowboard Slopestyle World Cup which were held in the early hours of Saturday morning (NZT).

Unfortunately the weather on the finals day was less than ideal, with flat light and snow flurries resulting in low visibility, which made it very challenging for the riders. Collins finished in thirteenth position, with Farrell finishing in sixteenth. 

The Kiwi Park and Pipe Team will now head back to Switzerland ahead of the final Freeski and Snowboard Slopestyle World Cup set to be held next weekend.