Federica Brignone delivered another unforgettable performance on home snow Sunday, capturing her second gold medal of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics by winning the women’s giant slalom in dramatic fashion at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre.
Just days after claiming a historic victory in the super-G, the Italian star once again defied expectations — and lingering injury — to stand atop the Olympic podium. Racing with a left leg still recovering from multiple fractures suffered in a crash at the Italian National Championships in April 2025, Brignone produced two powerful runs to secure the win in front of an electrified home crowd.
Ten months removed from the accident, two surgeries, and an intense rehabilitation process that at times left her unable to ski due to pain, the 35-year-old continued one of the most remarkable Olympic comebacks in Alpine skiing history. After becoming the oldest Olympic gold medalist in Alpine skiing with her super-G victory last week, Brignone broke her own record again with Sunday’s giant slalom triumph.
The victory gives Brignone five career Olympic medals and cements her status as one of Italy’s greatest Winter Olympians.
The race itself was exceptionally tight from the start. Through the first 13 competitors in Run 1, the top 11 skiers were separated by just 0.45 seconds. Brignone, nicknamed the “Snow Tiger,” seized control when it mattered most, attacking the course aggressively and posting a time that put her in the leader’s chair.
After temporarily surrendering the lead during Run 2 as the field made its final attempts down the slope, Brignone reclaimed the top spot as the last racer on course, sealing the victory with another confident performance.
Behind her, Sweden’s Sara Hector and Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund produced one of the most unusual finishes in Olympic Alpine skiing history. The two skiers posted identical times to the hundredth of a second in both runs, resulting in a tie for silver medal position. Because of the shared second place finish, no bronze medal was awarded.
For Hector, the result marked her second Olympic medal after winning giant slalom gold at the 2022 Beijing Games. Stjernesund also earned her second Olympic medal with the shared silver.
American star Mikaela Shiffrin, the most decorated Alpine skier in history, delivered two steady runs to finish 11th, just 0.92 seconds behind Brignone. The result represented a positive step forward for the 30-year-old, who continues rebuilding confidence in giant slalom following a frightening crash at a late-2024 World Cup race in Killington that caused a puncture wound and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Shiffrin is scheduled to compete in the slalom — her strongest discipline — on Wednesday, Feb. 18, in what will be her final event of the 2026 Winter Games. She was one of 11 racers who finished within a second of Sunday’s winning time.
Fellow American Paula Moltzan, the team combined bronze medalist earlier in the Games, placed 15th, while Nina O’Brien finished 20th after an impressive second run. O’Brien, who suffered a severe leg fracture in the giant slalom at the 2022 Olympics, barely qualified for the final run with the 29th-fastest opening time before tying for the fastest Run 2 performance alongside Italy’s Asja Zenere.
AJ Hurt showed early promise but did not finish after skiing through the middle of a gate during her first run.
Ultimately, the day belonged to Brignone, whose resilience, precision, and fearless skiing turned the slopes of Cortina into the stage for a historic Olympic double — one that will be remembered long after the Milano Cortina Games conclude.
