Sara Hector claimed a shared silver in women's giant slalom at the 2026 Olympics, alongside Norwegian Thea Louise Stjernesund. Italy's Federica Brignone won gold by 62 hundredths of a second. Such an exact tie over two runs is highly unusual, according to expert Anja Pärson.
In the women's giant slalom at the 2026 Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Sara Hector and Thea Louise Stjernesund completed two runs in exactly two minutes, 14 seconds, and 12 hundredths, securing a shared silver medal. Italy's Federica Brignone, fresh off a super-G win, claimed gold with a 62-hundredths lead. Hector, the reigning Olympic champion from 2022, did not defend her title but expressed pride in the silver.
"It's incredible. I'm super proud. Gold is gold but of course I'm happy about this silver," Hector told TT. Stjernesund reacted with surprise: "It was one in a million. 'It's not true, how crazy!' I thought. It's never been this close with anyone in my whole life."
The two skiers had identical times after both the first and second runs. They hugged and laughed at the finish, with no Swedish-Norwegian rivalry. "I get to share the medal with dear Sara. What are the odds?", Stjernesund told SVT.
SVT expert Anja Pärson highlights the rarity: "It's not unusual to see two winners or more with the same time, but over two runs it's very unusual."
Brignone, recovering from a serious knee injury, greatly impressed. Hector praises her: "The journey she's made is completely incredible. She's so strong to do this." The silver medalists bowed to the winner at the finish line.
Hector mentioned challenges during the race: "When I skied my second run I thought it was over. I had no good flow." Despite that, it resulted in a medal, Sweden's first in alpine skiing at the 2026 Olympics.
