By STEVE DOUGLAS
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO — As Federica Brignone absorbed the joy of clinching her second gold medal at her home Winter Olympics, a pair of silver medalists made their way over to her in the finish area. In a gesture of admiration, they knelt and bowed before the Italian skiing sensation.
It was a fitting tribute to the newly crowned Queen of the Dolomites.
Just last year, 35-year-old Brignone found herself unable to walk for three months. Fast forward to now, and she stands as a double Olympic champion, having claimed victory in the giant slalom with remarkable ease on Sunday. This triumph came only 72 hours after she secured the downhill title, a win she likened to a scene from a Hollywood blockbuster.
Brignone’s performance in the giant slalom was nothing short of spectacular. She established a 0.34-second lead after the first run and maintained her composure with a flawless second run under the clear blue skies and rugged beauty of the Dolomite mountains.
Her efforts culminated in a 0.62-second victory over defending champion Sara Hector and Thea Louise Stjernesund, who both earned silver medals.
“That was, like, the greatest show of GS skiing that we’ve had in a really long time,” said U.S. standout Mikaela Shiffrin, who finished in 11th place. “And to do it, you know, at the Olympics where people actually have eyes on the sport. Federica skied incredible. That was so cool to watch.”
SHIFFRIN OUT OF THE MEDALS AGAIN
It wasn’t so joyous for Shiffrin.
The American didn’t quite have the speed of Brignone or a number of her rivals in either run on a fairly flat course set by her own head coach, Karin Harjo, and ended 0.92 seconds off the lead. She has now failed to win a medal in eight straight Olympic races since the Winter Games in 2018.
Finishing just 0.30 seconds off second place suggested there might be more to come from Shiffrin, though, and redemption might arrive in her best event — the slalom — on Wednesday.
Indeed, Shiffrin didn’t show any outward signs of disappointment after her second run when she already knew she’d be out of the medals, blowing out her cheeks and waving to the fans in the grandstand with both hands.
BRIGNONE BATTLES THROUGH PAIN
By that time, the locals were waiting for Brignone to come down the sun-kissed Olympia delle Tofane course for a second gold in four days.
She didn’t disappoint.
It completes a stunning comeback for the popular Brignone, who was world champion in the GS in February last year before breaking multiple bones in her left leg in March that required surgery, a handful of screws to repair and left her unable to walk until the summer.
Brignone said after winning downhill gold that a day doesn’t go by where she doesn’t feel pain, yet she skied through it in a pair of runs her rivals couldn’t find fault with.
“She is the kindest, most genuine, athlete on tour,” U.S. skier Paula Moltzan said. “This comeback and to have two gold medals at home is, like, hands down, she’s clearly the best skier in the world right now.”
Before these home Games, Brignone had a silver and two bronzes at the Olympics. Now she has the big one — twice — and the loud home crowd lapped it up, chanting ‘FE-de, FE-de, FE-de’ during the medal ceremony.
