Scheib wins another GS, Brignone strong sixth in emotional return

Julia Scheib claimed a fourth giant slalom season victory on Tuesday while Federica Brignone was a sensational sixth in her native Italy in her comeback from injury after more than nine months.

Brignone's result in Kronplatz raises hopes that she will feel fit and competitive enough to race at her home Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo which open on February 6.

Scheib rose from third after the first run to another victory when she beat Swiss Camille Rast by .37 of a second. First-run leader Sara Hector of Sweden faded to third with a deficit of .46.

Scheib has ruled the discipline with four victories and two runner-up finishes from seven races.

She is 139 points ahead of Rast in the discipline standings and if all goes her way she could clinch the giant slalom title on Saturday at the Czech venue o0f Spindleruv Mlyn with two races to spare.

"This is so magical for me. It started here but I also had some bad times," Scheib said.

The Austrian had her first World Cup race in Kronplatz in 2018, a then career-best 11th place finish in 2023, but also failed to finish in several years.

American great Mikaela Shiffrin was fourth and Brignone rose from seventh after the first run to sixth, 1.23 seconds behind Scheib.

Brignone won the giant slalom world and World Cup titles as well as the overall World Cup last season before she suffered leg fractues in a crash at the national championships in early April.

Surgery and a long rehabilitation process followed before she started training on snow again recently. She said she decided to start in Kronplatz "to test my performance, to test my leg, to test my mind."

The giant slalom is her pet discipline. She has 17 victories and 42 podium finishes, two discipline World Cup titles and five medals from world championships and Olympics.

Hector beat Brignone for gold in the last Olympic race in 2022. The Milan/Cortina Games giant slalom is scheduled for February 15.