Italy’s Brignone wins giant slalom for second Olympic gold

Federica Brignone Wins Giant Slalom for Second Gold, Completing Remarkable Olympic Comeback

Federica Brignone completed one of the most remarkable comebacks in Alpine skiing history on Sunday, winning the women’s giant slalom at Milano Cortina 2026 for her second gold medal of the Games. The 35-year-old Italian finished with a combined time of 2:13.50, crossing the finish line 0.62 seconds ahead of the competition as the home crowd at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre erupted in celebration.snowsportsnews

The victory came just three days after Brignone claimed gold in the super-G, making her the first female Alpine skier to win two individual golds at a single Winter Olympics since Slovenia’s Tina Maze accomplished the feat at Sochi 2014.evrimagaci

The Road Back

Less than ten months ago, Brignone’s Olympic dreams appeared finished. A crash during the Italian Championships at Val di Fassa in April 2025 left her with multiple fractures in her tibial plateau and fibula, along with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. She underwent surgery at La Madonnina clinic in Milan, with physicians uncertain about her competitive future.espn

“I’ve been in therapy for eight or more months, and started skiing just to see if I could ski,” Brignone said after Sunday’s race. “It was day by day. For five months I didn’t even walk correctly.”aawsat

She returned to World Cup competition at Kronplatz on January 20, finishing sixth in what she described as a test for both her body and mind. Just under four weeks later, she stood atop the Olympic podium.fis-ski

Shared Silver, No Bronze

In a rare Olympic moment, Sweden’s Sara Hector and Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund posted identical times across both runs to share the silver medal. The defending Olympic champion Hector and Stjernesund finished at 1:03.97 in the first run and remained inseparable through the finish, eliminating a bronze medal from the podium.wikipedia

Stjernesund was left in tears after securing her first individual Olympic medal, with both silver medalists dropping to their knees and bowing to Brignone at the finish in a spontaneous display of respect.skiracing

Shiffrin’s Wait Continues

American star Mikaela Shiffrin finished 11th, extending her Olympic medal drought to eight consecutive events dating back to 2018. Despite holding the record for most World Cup victories in history with 108 wins, Shiffrin has struggled to replicate that dominance at the Olympics.latimes

“That was, like, the greatest show of GS skiing that we’ve had in a really long time,” Shiffrin said of Brignone’s performance. “Federica skied incredible. That was so cool to watch”.news4jax

Shiffrin has one final opportunity to end her medal drought in Wednesday’s slalom, historically her strongest event.