American skier AJ Hurtová experienced the season as if from the realm of dreams. In the past year, she made her way into the top ten for the first time, then improved her form and added her first podiums in the World Cup. At the beginning of the new season, however, she did not take part in the giant slalom in Sölden, Austria.
She first starred breaking into the elite ten in Canada’s Tremblant last December. She showed her full potential only in the new year, when she took the first place on the podium in Kranjska Gora. On the stage, she joined the first Petra Vlhová and the second Lena Dürrová. She thus became only the second American woman who managed to fight her way onto the podium in the last decade, besides Mikaela Shiffrin.
She also surprised her compatriot in February in Soldeu, when she took third place for the second time in her career, but this time in the giant slalom. She was only 15 hundredths of a second away from her first triumph. Despite the breakthrough season, we won’t see her in the new edition of the World Cup for some time. The skier is in pain.
„Unfortunately, I will not be participating in Sölden this weekend. I’ve been struggling with back and shoulder pain since the end of last season, and haven’t been training much on the snow. I’m back at home trying to figure out how to get rid of this pain so I can get back to the starting gate as soon as possible. But until then, I’ll be rooting for my teammates!
Thank you to everyone who helped me improve this summer,“ she said in a post on her Instagram profile.
In the opening race of the season, she was replaced by Katie Hensienová, who won the fourth place. It was her best World Cup finish. She jumped one place over Mikaela Shiffrin and was only three hundredths of a second away from the first podium in her career.
Italian skier Federica Brignone won the opening competition of the new World Cup season. In Saturday’s giant slalom in Sölden, Austria, she attacked from third position after the 1st round and triumphed with a lead of 17 hundredths ahead of New Zealander Alice Robinson.
