Robinson was quickest of 56 skiers in the first run on Copper Mountain. Photo: photosport
New Zealand skier Alice Robinson has ignited her season with a dominant win in the women's giant slalom at the World Cup in Colorado.
Robinson was quickest of 56 skiers in the first run on Copper Mountain and was then equal-fastest on the second run to win by nearly a full second overall.
The Queenstown 23-year-old has enhanced her status as a strong contender at February's Winter Olympics in Italy, where she hopes to add to the silver medal claimed at last year's world championships.
She climbs to second on the World Cup standings, behind today's runner-up, Austrian Julia Scheib.
Robinson clocked 59.03s in her first run, which was 0.29 seconds faster than Sweden's Sara Hector and 0.60 seconds quicker than Scheib.
With the win, Alice Robinson climbs to second on the World Cup standings. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Last away in the second run, Robinson was slow out of the gates, but accelerated through the middle stages of the race to ensure she wouldn't lose her advantage.
"It was definitely a day of two different runs," she said. "The first one, I felt in control and so smooth, the second felt out of control, like I was recovering the whole time.
"I was pretty shocked to finish first. I was really not feeling that confident coming into this race, so I'm really proud of myself to have trusted my instinct and just skied how I wanted."
Robinson said she felt gutted about her eighth placing at Sölden, Austria, last month.
"I think, in the past, I had always let prior poor performances affect my next performance, so I really want to prove it to myself today that, 'OK, Sölden wasn't great, but you can pick yourself up, it doesn't mean you aren't going to ski well today'.
"I am really proud of myself for breaking through that."
Told she was now the first most-successful female alpine ski racer from outside Europe and North America, Robinson said she hadn't realised.
"It's always really special for me to represent New Zealand, especially in a sport like ski racing that is so dominated by North America and Europe, so I am really proud of that."
Her overall time of 1m 58.91s, was 0.96 seconds better than Scheib, with Norwegian Thea Louise Stjernesund third.
The third leg of the 10-round World Cup is next weekend in Tremblant, Canada.
Freeskier Harrington has World Cup podium finish
In another winter sport discipline, Wanaki freeskier Luca Harrington finished third in the opening event of the FIS Freeski Big Air World Cup Tour at Secret Garden in Chongli County, China.
Harrington, the 2024/25 Big Air Crystal Globe winner and current Freeski Big Air world champion, qualified in sixth places and achieved his podium finish with a combined score of 176. American Troy Podmilsak won his maiden World Cup event, from Canada's Dylan Deschamps.
Nelson's Lucas Ball, 17, also qualified for the final at just his third World Cup event, finishing sixth overall, while Sylvia Trotter, 18, from Wanaka was seventh in the women's final.
Lucia Georgalli, 18, from Wanaka competed in her first World Cup snowboarding event, finishing ninth, just half a point off the final.
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