Federica Brignone held her overnight advantage to win the women’s Giant Slalom, claiming her second gold medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics for host nation Italy. Sweden’s Sara Hector and Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund shared the silver medal after recording identical times.
Brignone, who earlier won gold in the Super-G, set the pace in the first run with a time of 1:03.23, 0.34 seconds ahead of Germany’s Lena Durr. Defending champion Hector was in contention for a repeat title, sitting joint-fourth alongside Stjernesund and Albania’s Lara Colturi on 1:03.97.
The second run saw Italian Lara Della Mea deliver an outstanding performance, clocking 1:09.75 to move into the lead after starting the day in 14th place. The lead remained fragile as competitors attempted to challenge her time. Stjernesund recorded 1:10.15, overtaking Della Mea by a narrow 0.05 seconds.
Hector pushed aggressively on the course, finishing with the same time as Stjernesund, marking a rare tie for silver. Neither Colturi, Durr nor Sofia Goggia were able to surpass the Scandinavian athletes, leaving Brignone as the final competitor with a chance at gold.
With her closest rivals from the first run falling behind, Brignone needed only a strong finish to secure the title. She completed the course in 1:10.27, winning gold by 0.62 seconds. Della Mea finished just outside the medals in fourth, while Hector and Stjernesund shared silver.
Brignone’s victory cements her status as one of Italy’s standout athletes at the 2026 Games, demonstrating consistency and composure under pressure.
