Top quality top five
Second last-time out in Semmering, Austria the emotional Rast was too swift even for season-standout Scheib. The Austrian, winner of three of the previous five races, pushed mighty hard, but even a scintillating second run could not quite close the gap, with Scheib ending 0.20 seconds off her Swiss rival’s pace.
Meanwhile, Moltzan headlined another excellent day for the USA women’s tech team (three skiers in the top eight) as she shook off the effects of a heavy crash in Semmering to finish on the podium for the second time this season.
Defending Olympic GS champion Sara Hector (SWE/Head) and the most successful women’s World Cup GS skier of all-time Mikaela Shiffrin (USA/Atomic) rounded off a high-class top-five. With only Alice Robinson (NZL/Salomon) of the top contenders missing out, the New Zealander failing to finish run one for the second GS in succession.
‘Big step forward’ for Rast
Nine different skiers have already finished on a World Cup GS podium this season, underlining just how tight the race for the top is. And, after her win and last week’s second place helped her leapfrog Robinson into second behind Scheib in the season standings, there is no doubt Rast is now another one to watch.
