Ski racing: Alice Robinson claims back-to-back giant slalom World Cup wins

Alice Robinson has won twice in as many weeks. Photo / Geoff Robins, AFP

New Zealand’s Alice Robinson bagged her second giant slalom victory of the season this morning at the alpine skiing World Cup meeting in Mont-Tremblant in Canada.

A week after dominating the field on her way to victory at Copper Mountain in Colorado, the 24-year-old Kiwi repeated the feat with a similarly commanding win in Quebec.

Robinson led the field after the first run and then extended her advantage in the second to finish 0.94s ahead of Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutic, with Canada’s Valerie Grenier in third.

“I was very tired, I just tried to hang on,” Robinson said after her victory.

“The course was faster in the second run; it was colder, the snow had stopped falling, it was quite flat – you had to be tactically smart.”

The New Zealander now has six World Cup victories, the first earned at just 17, and she was one of eight athletes announced to represent New Zealand at the Winter Olympics in Italy early next year.

The win leaves Robinson on top of the discipline standings with 232 points and she will have a chance to extend her lead with a second giant slalom on the same course tomorrow morning. Austria’s Julia Scheib is second on 180 points.

Elsewhere, US star Mikaela Shiffrin, who finished third after the opening run, eventually finished sixth, 1.65s off the pace. Shiffrin appeared to be dealing with back pain at the finish.

Though undefeated in slalom this season, Shiffrin is still searching for her best giant slalom form as she continues rebuilding after an abdominal injury.

Swedish Olympic champion Sara Hector meanwhile crashed out in the opening run.

In the overall World Cup standings, Shiffrin remains in front, holding a 122-point lead over Albania’s Lara Colturi, who placed 23rd this morning.

The season’s speed races have yet to begin; the first are scheduled for next week in St Moritz, Switzerland.