02/15/26 08:31:00
Printable Page
02/15 08:29 CST Brignone wins giant slalom for 2nd gold medal of the Olympics,
Shiffrin finishes 11th
Brignone wins giant slalom for 2nd gold medal of the Olympics, Shiffrin
finishes 11th
By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) --- Federica Brignone was taking in the magnitude
of winning a second gold of her home Winter Olympics when the two
silver-medalists approached the Italian skiing star in the finish area, dropped
to their knees and bowed toward her.
Call her the Queen of the Dolomites.
The 35-year-old Brignone couldn't walk for three months early last year. Now
she is a double Olympic champion after winning the giant slalom on Sunday,
barely 72 hours after powering to the downhill title that she felt was like
something out of a Hollywood movie.
She delivered quite the sequel, taking a lead of 0.34 seconds after the first
run and then putting in a clean second run in gorgeous conditions in the
Dolomite Mountains above Cortina.
Brignone finished 0.62 seconds ahead of defending champion Sara Hector and Thea
Louise Stjernesund, who shared the silver medal.
"That was, like, the greatest show of GS skiing that we've had in a really long
time," said U.S. standout Mikaela Shiffrin, who finished in 11th place. "And to
do it, you know, at the Olympics where people actually have eyes on the sport.
Federica skied incredible. That was so cool to watch."
It wasn't quite so enjoyable for Shiffrin.
The American didn't have the speed of Brignone or a number of her rivals in
either run and ended 0.92 seconds off the lead. She has now failed to win a
medal in eight straight Olympic races since the Winter Games in 2018.
Redemption for Shiffrin could come in her best event --- the slalom --- on
Wednesday and she didn't show any outward signs of disappointment, blowing out
her cheeks and waving to the fans in the grandstand with both hands after her
second run.
By that time, the locals were waiting for Brignone to come down for a second
gold in four days and she delivered.
It completes a stunning comeback for the popular Brignone, who was world
champion in the GS in February last year before breaking multiple bones in her
left leg in March that required surgery, a handful of screws to repair and left
her unable to walk until the summer.
Before these home Games, Brignone had a silver and two bronzes at the Olympics.
Now she has the big one --- twice.
___
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
|
