Olympic fiant slalom champion Sara Hector of Sweden won in Spindleruv Mlyn two weeks before the Milan-Cortina Winter Games

Špindleruv Mlýn (Czech Republic) (AFP) - Olympic champion Sara Hector warmed up for her women’s giant slalom title defence at next month’s Winter Olympics by winning the World Cup race on Saturday as US star Mikaela Shiffrin finished third.

Sweden’s Hector led the first run in the Czech Republic and was third fastest in the second to edge American Paula Moltzan by 0.18sec with Shiffrin third at 0.23 off the pace.

“I am ready. Mostly, I am just looking forward to going there and just to enjoy,” said Hector after she picked up her eighth World Cup win in the final giant slalom race before the Olympics.

“Last time I was just so focused and I didn’t really have time to feel it was the Olympics.

“This time I think I can go there with a little bit lighter heart, because I have a gold and now it’s just to really go there and enjoy. I am very much looking forward to that.

Hector, 33, finished third in last week’s giant slalom in Kronplatz and claimed her first win this season.

Overall World Cup leader Shiffrin had been fourth fastest in the first run and clocked the second best time behind Moltzan, who led the way in the second run, ahead of Hector.

It was 30-year-old Shiffrin’s first giant slalom podium since her serious accident in a World Cup race in Killington, Vermont in November 2024.

For the 2018 Olympic giant slalom champion it was a confidence boost for her and the US team with four skiers in the top eight.

“I’ve been feeling good the past days. Every day is a new opportunity, so you just take that and go for it,” said Shiffrin.

Mikaela Shiffrin returned to the World Cup giant slalom podium for the first time in two years

“To cross the finish line, I gave it my all, saw the red light but then immediately saw Paula-Mikaela-Nina (O’Brien), Team USA the top one-two-three. I never experienced something like that before,” Shiffrin said.

“This was just a really special day.”

Austria’s Julia Scheib leads the World Cup discipline standings despite failing to finish the second run. She holds an 89-point advantage over Swiss Camille Rast, who was fourth at Spindleruv Mlyn.

Some of the top-ranked skiers skipped the event in the Czech Republic, including Italy’s Sofia Goggia and Federica Brignone, two weeks before the Milan-Cortina Olympics get underway.