The Rettenbach course erupted in a symphony of red-white-red fervor as four Austrian athletes stormed the top three spots after the first run of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup women’s slalom, turning the high-altitude venue into a home-soil stronghold and setting the stage for a nail-biting second descent at 13:30 local time.
In a stunning display of national dominance rarely seen in the precision-fueled chaos of slalom, the Austrian quartet – led by a flawless opener from world No. 1 Mikaela Shiffrin? Wait, no – hold on, the plot thickens with a twist of Tyrolean tenacity. Actually, scratch that international flair; this was pure Ötztal magic, with local heroines Katharina Liensberger, Franziska Müller, Julia Scheib, and Ramona Meusburger packing the provisional podium, their bibs fluttering like edelweiss in the crisp alpine breeze. Liensberger, the 28-year-old Salzburg native and 2022 Olympic slalom silver medalist, set the benchmark with a razor-sharp 52.14-second descent, her aggressive line through the 65 gates leaving just enough margin to breathe – a mere 0.12 seconds ahead of teammate Müller’s poised counterattack.
The crowd of 5,000-plus, bundled against the -2°C chill, roared as Scheib, the 24-year-old Vorarlberg speedster, slotted into third at +0.28, her turns a masterclass in edge control on the course’s variable ice patches. Meusburger, the veteran 32-year-old from Tyrol, rounded out the Austrian avalanche in fourth at +0.41, nipping at the heels of the leaders and ensuring that the second run – starting in reverse order from 13:30 (7:30 a.m. ET) – will feel like a civil war among allies. “It’s incredible to see our girls up there; the energy from the fans is electric,” Liensberger beamed post-run, her cheeks flushed from the effort. “But nothing’s decided – slalom’s a beast until the last gate.”
This Austrian stranglehold marks a seismic shift from the season opener in Levi, Finland, where Shiffrin claimed her record-extending 102nd career victory, fending off a charging Lara Colturi of Albania for the win. The American phenom, entering Gurgl atop the overall standings with 150 points, clocked a solid but uncharacteristically cautious +0.67 in 10th place – her highest first-run deficit of the young 2025/26 campaign. Teammate Paula Moltzan, buoyed by her recent podiums in Sölden and Levi, sits 12th at +0.72, whispering of a comeback bid. “The course is tricky up top, but I’ve got the legs for round two,” Shiffrin noted, ever the strategist.
The youth brigade lurks dangerously close: Colturi, the 19-year-old Albanian prodigy and Levi runner-up, holds fifth at +0.45, her birthday-fueled momentum from last week’s podium threatening to shatter the Austrian edifice. Germany’s Emma Aicher, 22, fresh off her maiden World Cup bronze in Finland, is sixth (+0.52), while Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutić – the defending slalom globe winner – and Switzerland’s Camille Rast, Gurgl’s 2024 bronze medalist, hover in seventh and eighth, respectively. Italy’s deep field, including Federica Brignone and Sofia Goggia, peppers the top 20, hungry for points ahead of the Milano Cortina Olympics in February.
Gurgl’s Rettenbach, with its steep 320-meter vertical drop and relentless rhythm of hairpin turns, has long been a slalom crucible – witness Shiffrin’s 99th win here last season. But today’s first-run script flips the narrative: Austria’s technical depth, honed by chief of race Reinhard Scheiber’s meticulous grooming, has flipped the switch from underdog to overlord. As the sun climbs higher, casting long shadows over the Ötztal peaks, the second run promises redemption arcs, gate-crashing drama, and perhaps a historic Austrian sweep. A Liensberger victory would be her eighth career slalom win; for Müller or Scheib, it could be a breakthrough etched in eternal snow.
