Soelden GS: Julia Scheib bricht ihre Ente

First WAWC win--dominant, clean, confident--sinking in for Julia Scheib

...or maybe not quite yet.

This was an excellent race, I think. Temperatures 17-26 degrees Fahrenheit, so the track was solid. Flat light. Occasional wind gusts at the top of the piste, which didn’t seem to significantly affect the event—though some racers may have been irked. Par for the course in ski racing.

    Julia Scheib, 2025 EOS GS 9^th (260 pts), ran as good a race as anyone can, especially an Austrian on home ground seeking first WAWC victory. She used half of her 01.28 first run lead to coolly bring it home by 0.58. Solid, direct skiing. Second Run Key: She railed a sweeping right-footer at half distance where Moltzan and Gut-Behrami scrubbed. This was very important, since Julia’s second run, though poised and focused, was also dialed back a smidge for safety. Twelve second runs were faster than hers. An overwhelming first run gave her the luxury of not having to lay it out for the win.

    Scheib’s was the first GS victory by an Austrian woman since Eva-Maria Brem in Jasna, Slovakia, in March 2016; the first at Soelden since Anna Fenninger tied Mikaela Shiffrin for top step in October 2014. More important, last season at Soelden Julia came from 14^th first run to third with the 2^nd-fastest second run. That was her best finish, along with 5xT10, and 2xDNF. Except for a 13^th to 4^th at Kranjska Gora and 13^th to 6^th at Semmering, she pretty much held her 1^st run positions. Similar in 2024—5xT10; 3xDNF; DSQ. 25^th to 9^th at Kronplatz; 14^th to 5^th (2^nd fastest) at Lienz were stellar improvements, otherwise she held rank.

("Breaking your duck" is a British sports term meaning to gain one's first victory, or to finally score or succeed after a long time trying. I first heard it in James Hunt's commentary on Grand Prix races.)

Inconsistency was frustrating. Eg. January 2024 Kronplatz: 25^th first run, then 1^st second run to finish 5^th. March 2025 Are 9^th and 16^th for 7^th; December 2024 Semmering 13^th and 1^st to snag 6^th. Feb 24 Soldeu 10^th and 19^th for 13^th. March 2024 Are, 5^th and 24^th, to take 6^th. (Hmm, that was a weird race. The 2^nd through 6^th first run leaders all finished in the 20s second run, except for Gut-Behrami who was 16^th.)

    So…Julia’s a top talent hopefully humming in top gear at 27 years old, per the “prime years” theory.

    She seems quite reserved, low-key. I certainly reckon that as Austria’s top WAWC GS racer by a large margin over the past two seasons, she felt pressure to excel, to improve every race. Stephanie Brunner (31yrs) was Austria’s GS leader until six years ago, when a torn ACL took her out. Ricarda Haaser (32yrs), a three-discipline warrior, was EOS GS 10^th in 2019, her best finish. Both, Brunner especially, appear to be forward personalities—extroverted vs. Julia’s introversion, perhaps. Katy Liensburger (28yrs), the team’s most successful/highest-profile Tech racer based upon her Slalom excellence, is one of WAWC’s most ebullient characters—her GS record, though, isn’t nearly in Julia’s league: 11xT10 (3d best) 2019-2024 seasons vs. 12xT10 (1^st best) 2024-2025 seasons.

    Julia Scheib has premier GS chops. She’s almost a GS Big Dog, who should stash prime bones behind the podium. She’ll do it quietly, with perky ears and no whimpering.

Julia Scheib - Soelden 25 October 2025. 1st WAWC victory!!

In GREAT style.

Looking at the Big People:

    Lara Gut-Behrami put down the 5^th and 4^th fastest runs, the best combined average positions except for Paula Moltzan’s 2x2nd. For the T10, Scheib was 1^st and 13^th; Shiffrin 6^th and 7^th; Stjernesund 7^th and 6^th; O’Brien 15^th and 1^st (!); Colturi 4^th and 25^th (!); Robinson 11^th and 6^th; Hector 7^th and 17^th; Ljutic 3d and 28^th (!!).

    You see what’s going on. Paula, Lara, Mikaela, and Thea are consistent; the others are not. Mikaela and Lara will remain so for the season—their histories say so. Other competitors may pull their Tech times closely together, hopefully faster. But the mature pros are money. Right now, with Fede and Marta out and Sofia’s GS pending a finish for reference, Shiffrin and Gut-Behrami rule. Robinson, her patience restored soon, can beat everyone for GS title--and I think she will.

    Lara Gut-Behrami carving Soelden - 25 October 2025

One of alpine ski racing's very greatest, beginning her final season.

Paula Moltzan skied very well. Really excited to see her early-season Slalom chops at Levi in a couple of weeks. She seems settled and confident. Paula knows she’s one of the very best, and can beat Mikaela, Lara, Sara, Alice. She’s such a cool person. One of WAWC’s rising career-prime stars.

     Paula lays it down...for fun.

And she gets it done.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s back. I understand she was still a bit gun shy re GS, but she put down the 6^th best first run, from bib 20—excellent on a rutted frozen track. Then 7^th best to take 4^th place. Dialed in both runs; strong and efficient. She’ll EOS podium GS this year, and will have a couple of wins from the nine races remaining.

Elisabeth Bocock, leading 2nd run at Soelden, on radio

reporting track conditions to teammates up the hill.

Nina O'Brien and Thea Louise Stjernesund sharing Soelden leader's chair, 2nd run.

Thea needs a cap, raskt, to conceal unsightly tan line!

Below are brief notes for 2^nd runs.

    Regarding first runs, thank goodness Sofia Goggia didn’t dislocate her shoulder or suffer something worse from hooking a gate with her right arm about two-thirds down. She hit the deck fast, but her skis were parallel and flat and she got right back up, seemingly okay. A solid run up to that point. GS points (say EOS T10, a tough lift) will keep Sofia in the Overall hunt this season, assuming EOS DH podium (a shoo-in over past five years), and EOS SG T5 (even odds over past four years).

   Per carita, Sophia!!

It’s interesting when racers have difficulties at similar sections or turns on the track. A blue gate about halfway down cost Lara and Paula 0.33 each, I’d say. They both came in hot on the wide right-footer. Lara scrubbed a touch and was on her way; Paula’s hip was nearly on the snow, in a signature hell-for-leather maneuver. (See turn's entry picture above.) Julia railed it and thus likely secured the race. She gave up half of her first run lead to ski smartly; a scrubby turn there may have cost her top step.

And here are Lara Della Mea and Doriane Escane losing their right and left skis, respectively, on the first run. Hilma Loevblom, starting six numbers later, lost her right board at the exact place Lara did. This can happen if a rut catches the ski right at the binding, and grabs it for an instant. I heard also that if a ski is quickly unweighted, in rare circumstances the binding can release. (?) This sounds odd to me. Anyway, this looks like a frustrating, and dangerous, way to end your race without doing anything wrong...

Lara Della Mea finds this inconvenient.

Doriane Escane could do without this.

2^nd Runs in order.

Rudimentary impressions. Final placement; taking 1^st place lead noted.

No DNFs!

Liensberger 27 – pretty solid for GS

Pykalainen 22 – Nice! On it TTB. Highest bib finisher—22^nd from 42. 1^st place by 0.46.

Astner 24 – Okay. Scrubbed some speed.

Dvornik 26 – Gritty; thrown off-balance, lost time

Aicher 28 – Got down; workwoman-like. GS gonna be a project.

Kasper 29 – Looked pretty rhythmic and clean to me, but finished a second off the pace.

E. Bocock 19 – Sent it! Aggressive TTB. Good job. 1^st place by 0.42

Direz 25 – Fine top section; good rhythm. Bobble a few gates from finish cost time.

Holtmann 21 – Pretty solid. 2^nd place. Missed two seasons to injuries—2016 and 2017.

Brunner 23 – Excellent top third, then scrubbed it off. Career injuries—3xLeft ACL…

Gasienica-Daniel 17 – Nice! Cooked the top, lost a bit, fired the bottom. 1^st place by 0.15

Zenere 17 – Gritty, direct; kept the pedal down. Tied for 1^st place.

Hurt 13 – Excellent! Kept it fast and mostly tidy. 1^st place by 0.62

Richardson 20 – Okay. 5^th place

Holdener 30 – Out of sorts. Forget this.

O’Brien 6 – Man, Nina looked good. Smooth, strong, pumping for speed. 1^st place by 0.39. Fastest overall 2^nd run! Long road back from broken leg at Beijing GS. Excellent job!

Lie 16 – Looked cautious, but rhythmic. Fine linked turns. Good GS kick-off for a Speed queen.

Rast 15 – Strong run. Dropped time at the end.

Duerr 14 – Solid run.

Robinson 8 – Powerful but scrappy. Inelegant, I guess. Doesn’t have her smooth power and unequaled turning speed. Concentration issues? Way dissatisfied with her performance.

Grenier 11 – Good run. Skis got away from her a couple times, but not shabby for season opener.

Hensien 12 – Okay, but big drop from 1^st run. Top half very strong; scrubbed off a bit lower. She’s very good. EOS T10 not a stretch if consistent.

Stjernesund  5 – Smoked it, especially up top. Kept the pedal down and into 1^st by 0.22. She’s a prime contender.

Hector 9 – Unbalanced overall, conservative, not up to her snuff. But kept on it. Course conditions pretty harsh.

Shiffrin 4 – On form; worked rhythmically, no fancy stuff. Strong. HH is back. 1^st place by 0.11

Gut-Behremi 3 – Oh yeah. A scrubby turn about a third into it, but otherwise vintage Lara power technique. First place by 0.31.

Colturi 7 – Not a bad-looking run, just wasn’t fast. Skied, I don’t know, way too safely rather than conservatively?

Ljutic 10 – Led through first third, then fell off. Looked strong; a couple scrubby turns must have done it. Displeased with herself.

Moltzan 2 – On rails except for a pretty major scrub same place as Lara. Still 1^st place by 0.53. Paula’s got it all together. May very well be building a major prime peak.

Scheib 1 – Way to go, Julia!! As good a race as anyone can run, especially an Austrian on home ground seeking first WAWC victory. Used half of her massive first run lead to cooly bring it home. Solid, direct skiing. Key: She railed the sweeping right-footer at third distance where Moltzan and Gut-Behrami scrubbed. Excellent job, kid. Won by 0.58.

Giant Slalom - Soelden, Austria. 25 October 2025

1st - Julia Scheib 2nd - Paula Moltzan 3d - Lara Gut-Behrami