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New Zealand's Alice Robinson took a record World Cup victory in the giant slalom at Copper Mountain Course in Colorado on Saturday.
Robinson's fifth career win in two runs of one minute, 58.91 seconds makes her the most successful women's World Cup winner from a non-European or North American country, according to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation.
For the sake of this honor, she broke off relations with compatriot Claudia Rigler.
Alice Robinson was nearly flawless in her second attempt at first place in Colorado.
“It's always special for me to represent New Zealand, especially in a sport like cross-country skiing that is so dominated by North America and Europe,” Robinson said. “So I'm really proud of that.”
Robinson led Sweden's Sarah Hector by 29-100 seconds after the first run and defended her advantage admirably with an equally best second run on the course set at 3,000 meters (9,850 ft) in Colorado.
Austria's Julia Scheib was second in 1:59.87, while Norway's Louise Stjernesund (1:59.99) finished on the podium.
Canadians are fighting
Below the podium, the Canadians failed to place in the top ten.
Two-time Olympic champion Valérie Grenier of Mont-Tremblant, Que., was sixth after her first run and finished 13th in 2:00.98 for her 43rd top-20 finish on the World Cup circuit.
“I’m very disappointed in today’s race,” Grenier told Alpine Canada. “I skied well this week in practice and felt good going into the race. It's a shame I don't ski the same in the race.
Valerie Grenier of St. Isidore, Ont., finished just outside the top ten in the giant slalom competition in Copper Mountain, Colorado.
“It's tough right now, but I'm really happy for Tremblant. This is one of my favorite races and now that we have the green light it makes me really happy. It's two races at home in front of the fans and I'm really excited to see all the fans and put on a good show.”
Britt Richardson of Canmore, Alta., was 10th after the first run and finished 16th in 2:01.24, her 11th top-20 finish.
Three Canadians failed to complete the competition. Arianna, forget it Saint-Jerome, Quebec did not finish in the top 30 to qualify for the second heat, finishing in 42nd place, while Justine Lamontagne (Saint-Ferreol-les-Neiges, Que.) and Cassidy Gray (Panorama, BC) did not finish the first heat.
Mont-Tremblant will host back-to-back Women's Giant Slalom World Cup events on December 6-7.
