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Get in TouchCalgary, Alta — It was a memorable day for Canadian ski racing in Kronplatz, ITA, as Valérie Grenier (St. Isidore, Qué) and Britt Richardson (Canmore, Alta) skied into ninth and 11th in giant slalom on Tuesday, as many of those on the World Cup circuit creep closer to taking on the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympics.
Both Canadian skiers got some time in the leader’s chair as well, with exceptional second runs and final few gates powering them into negative splits, before outstanding skiing from some of the top athletes from the first run took podium places.
Grenier, 29,finished ninth, 1.78 seconds back of the third spot on the podium, taken by Sweden’s Sarah Hector, who topped the first run. After finishing ninth on the opening run, the native of St.Isidore, Qué., pushed an early, high line in the second run, before an aggressive finish that saw her overtake Italy’s Lara Della Mea for the lead by 0.36 seconds.
As she reached across the finish, she bumped Richardson to third, providing a brief moment with the two Canadians in podium spots. Richardson, 22, also delivered an aggressive final run in the second run, finishing 11th, her fourth straight World Cup giant slalom result in the top 12.
“I'm disappointed with my performance today,” said Grenier. “The course for the first run was difficult, with lots of turns and I struggled to get into the rhythm. The second run course set was a little simple, but I didn't let my skis go so that was disappointing. However, the speed was better at the bottom so that’s something to take forward into the next races.”
For Grenier, the top 10 finish marked her fourth of the season, as she continues to find her best skiing after claiming third on home snow in the first of two giant slalom races in Mont-Tremblant in December. At the same time, it saw her crack the top 10 for the 27th time in her career.
Richardson, meanwhile, continued to show her growing consistency on the circuit, taking advantage of a slope that has seen some of her best skiing since breaking into the World Cup as a teenager in 2021-22. Before Tuesday’s 11th-place result, she had skied to 18th and a career-best seventh in Kronplatz giant slaloms.
“The first run was challenging for me, the course set was not in my favour, so I had a hard time showing my best skiing there,” said Richardson, who has not finished outside the top 20 in all seven of her giant slalom races in 2025-26.
“It’s been cool to see consistency this year and finish in the top 15 for the past 5 races. However, I’m hungry for more and ready to break into the top group soon. I’m working hard in training to find the next step to bring me closer to the top 10. It’s a big step because the top girls are so solid, but I believe I can compete with them on any day if I show the skiing I know I can do.”
Austria’s Julia Scheib took the win in a time of 1:05.92, with Switzerland’s Camille Rast in second, 0.37 seconds behind. The first run leader, Sweden’s Hector, finished third. One of the biggest stories, however, was Italian skier Federica Brignone’s 6th-place finish in her return from injury, just 17 days before the start of her home Olympics.
Other Canadians, including Cassidy Gray and Arianne Forget, did not finish the first run, while Justine Lamontagne fell short of the top-30 flip with a 45th-place finish on the opening descent.
In the overall giant slalom standings, Grenier moved to eighth and Richardson to 13th, with Scheib continuing to lead the Crystal Globe race in the discipline.
In other ski racing, Jack Crawford, the defending Kitzbühel downhill champion, finished 10th in the first training run down The Streif, ahead of the famed men’s World Cup downhill and super-G runs on the weekend.
Next up for the Canadian Alpine Ski Team on the women’s FIS World Cup circuit is a giant slalom and slalom in Spindleruv Mlyn, CZE, from January 24-25, before a downhill and super-G stop in Crans-Montana, SUI, from Jan 30-31 as the final precursor to the Olympic Games.
Next races:
Men race SG in Kitzbühel (AUT) January 23
Women race GS in Spindleruv Mlyn (ITA) January 24
Para alpine head to Feldberg (GER) for slalom races on January 22 and 23
Ski cross race next in Veysonnaz (SUI) January 23 and 24
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