New Zealand skier Alice Robinson stunned overall defending champion Mikaela Shiffrin to win the World Cup opening giant slalom race by a narrow margin in Soelden, Austria.
Alice Robinson wins the Giant Slalom race during the Winter Games at Coronet Peak in August last year. Photo: Photosport
On a day when the All Blacks were knocked out of the Rugby World Cup by England in the semi-finals, 17-year-old Robinson gave the country something to cheer about after dominating the field on a course she had never skied on before.
The traditional season opener attracts the world's best racers.
Robinson was 0.14 seconds behind American two-times Olympic gold medallist Shiffrin after the first run but finished with a total time of 2:17.36 - a mere 0.06 seconds faster than Shiffrin - to win her first World Cup race.
Robinson had to wait for Shiffrin to finish before her podium placing was decided.
It was a tremendous result for the teenager, who only has 10 World Cup starts to her name.
"I'm pretty shocked but super happy and super excited," said Robinson, New Zealand's first World Cup giant-slalom winner.
"I had a feeling I was going to really like this slope, so to be able to pull it off on the day, I'm really excited.
"I was a bit nervous for the second run but I tried to keep myself together, just trying to enjoy it."
France's Tessa Worley finished third, 0.36 seconds behind. The next event in the women's calendar is the slalom on 23 November in Levi, Finland.
It was New Zealand's first Alpine ski racing World Cup medal in 17 years.
Robinson is the current Junior World Champion in Giant Slalom and claimed her first World Cup medal in March this year, finishing second at the FIS Alpine World Cup Finals in Andorra.
- Reuters/RNZ
