Camille Rast wins GS, Ana Bucik Jogan was best of Slovenian skiers

The steep Podkoren slope once again proved to be one of the most demanding courses on the Women’s Alpine Ski World Cup circuit. Fortunately, the organizers—led by Andrej Šporn, head of course preparation—did an excellent job preparing the snow surface, allowing the skiers to put on an outstanding sporting spectacle in front of 4,917 spectators at the Audi FIS World Cup in Kranjska Gora.

What Andrej Šporn had emphasized before the start of the spectacle in sunny Kranjska Gora was confirmed in the first run of the World Cup giant slalom. Without major difficulties, Simone Wild (Switzerland), Dania Allenbach (Switzerland), and Doriane Escane (France)—all starting with bib numbers above 50—also advanced to the second run. A total of 62 alpine skiers competed. On the extremely demanding course, Swiss skier Camille Rast stood out in the first run, making the most of bib number one and building a 0.33-second advantage over her closest challengers.

Ana Bucik Jogan confidently earns new points

Among the Slovenian trio, Ana Bucik Jogan made the best use of the home slope. She was very fast in the upper section of the course but lost some time in the lower part. Her deficit of +2.84 seconds behind Camille Rast was enough for 27th place after the first run. Unfortunately, the young Nika Tomšič and Caterina Sinigoi were slightly too slow to qualify for the second run.
“I’m satisfied with today’s skiing, as I haven’t trained giant slalom much in difficult conditions. This terrain is very demanding for me, so I can be happy even though I didn’t make it into the second run. It was a great experience, and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s race,” said Caterina Sinigoi after finishing 49th.
“I’ll try to forget today as quickly as possible and focus immediately on tomorrow’s slalom, where I want to show what I can do,” added Nika Tomšič, who recorded the 54th result.

Ana Bucik Jogan again started her second run very well. She was fully competitive with Sofia Goggia, with whom she shared 27th place after the first run. Unfortunately, the final steep section once again proved costly, where she lost a second and ultimately finished 29th.
“Today was a really nice race in Kranjska Gora. I would have liked to add a bit more in the second run, as the course setting was very fluid, but I made a few small mistakes that cost me too much time. Now I know what the conditions are like and what to expect for tomorrow’s slalom,” said Ana Bucik Jogan after her final giant slalom race on the home slope in front of nearly five thousand fans, confidently securing new World Cup points.

A thrilling battle for a prestigious victory

In a true winter fairy tale, spectators were then treated to an exceptional battle for the prestigious win. The season’s best giant slalom skier, Austria’s Julia Scheib, delivered a superb attack in the second run after being fifth in the first run. She fended off the challenges of Mikaela Shiffrin, Lara Colturi, and Paula Moltzan, before Camille Rast took to the course. The Swiss skier kept her composure and produced another top-class run on the demanding slope, ultimately winning by 0.20 seconds ahead of Scheib, with Moltzan stepping onto the third podium spot.

“Of course I’m very happy with the victory, but I have to say that my thoughts are with Crans-Montana, my home town, where a major tragedy occurred over the New Year. I dedicate this win to all the families mourning after that tragedy. Otherwise, all compliments to the perfectly prepared course, where I was able to show excellent skiing in both runs. Even though I made a mistake on the final steep section in the second run, I pushed all the way to the finish on the wings of the fans,” said Camille Rast after claiming the first giant slalom victory of her career.

So far, the Swiss skier has achieved two World Cup wins in slalom at the highest level and will therefore be among the top favorites for tomorrow’s slalom, which begins in Kranjska Gora with the first run at 9:30 AM.