Swiss skier Camille Rast secured her inaugural victory in a World Cup giant slalom on Saturday and dedicated her triumph to the individuals affected by the recent fire incident at a bar in Crans-Montana. Rast paid tribute to the victims by acknowledging the black mourning band on her left arm after completing her final run, edging out Austria’s Julia Scheib by two-tenths of a second in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. During an interview beside the course, Rast expressed her thoughts, stating, “This week, there was a tragic accident in my hometown, and my heart goes out to those families. This win is for them.”
Rast, who hails from Vetroz, a village near Crans-Montana, raced to victory amidst the recent devastating fire that claimed 40 lives and left over 100 people injured during a New Year’s celebration at the Swiss ski resort. Crans-Montana is gearing up to host upcoming World Cup speed races for women on January 30-31 and for men on February 1, serving as the final events before the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Paula Moltzan clinched the third spot, finishing 0.47 seconds behind Rast, securing her second podium finish of the season for the American team. Meanwhile, Mikaela Shiffrin, another American teammate, trailed in fifth place by just over a second. Val Grenier from St. Isidore, Ont., emerged as the leading Canadian, finishing ninth, 2.05 seconds behind the winner.
The U.S. ski team put on a strong performance with Nina O’Brien securing eighth place and Elisabeth Bocock finishing 14th, matching her career-best result achieved in a GS event in Sweden back in March 2023. In the GS standings, Scheib extended her lead as her closest competitor, New Zealand’s Alice Robinson, skied out in the first run for the second consecutive race, this time on a course set by her coach Nils Coberger.
The competition continues with a slalom event scheduled for Sunday on the same hill, with live coverage accessible on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem. Notably, there are no men’s World Cup races scheduled for this weekend.
