Here in the video

Mom was feverish: “She can stop for all I care”

Maria Rosa Quario, Federica Brignone's mother, was cheering in the finish area.

(Bild: Pail Sepp/Sepp Pail, x.com/ChaletClub_)

Federica Brignone celebrated the gold medal in the World Championships giant slalom - and her mom Maria Rosa Quario (herself an ex-racer and sports journalist) joined in the excitement, as a clip online shows. "She can stop today for all I care," said the proud mom. 

Brignone is only the second giant slalom world champion for Italy after Deborah Compagnoni in 1996 and 1997, and at 34, she is also the oldest. She was already standing on plastic boards at the age of one and a half, with ski instructor Daniele as her father and former racer and ski journalist Maria Rosa Quario as her mother. A year later, it was real ski boots and skis on which the curly-haired girl called "Fede" tried her hand.

More than three decades later, she realized a career dream on the salt slopes of Saalbach, and according to her mom, she can now stop with a clear conscience. "She already has a gold medal in the combined, but it's not the same," Quario recalled. "Giant slalom is the most important discipline for me. She can stop today for all I care."

Mama Brignone was feverish: 

Robinson marvels at her hunger for success
The daughter is not (yet) thinking about that, especially as she holds the best cards as overall World Cup leader to win the big crystal for a second time after 2019/20. Since then, she has decisively developed her skills, especially in the speed area, alongside parade low-flyer Sofia Goggia. Just a month ago, she won her first downhill in St. Anton, and shortly before the World Championships, she added number two in Garmisch. With super-G silver, she relieved herself of the greatest pressure to succeed in the very first race at the World Championships.

"Federica is incredible, she deserves the gold medal," said second-placed Alice Robinson, acknowledging the age difference of eleven years. For the New Zealander, the fact that Brignone is currently showing the world her best skiing shows one thing above all: "She's hungrier than ever." The winner's desire to celebrate dominated for the time being. "I'm going to party a bit, but I'm not going to self-destruct," said Brignone, laughing, "the season isn't over yet."