The Swedish star was fastest in the first run and was on the verge of her first World Cup victory since early 2025.
In the second run, Hector could not make it all the way. Julia Scheib, third after the first run, swapped places with the 33-year-old and took her fourth victory of the season. The Austrian won by 37 hundredths of a second ahead of Swiss Camille Rast and 46 hundredths of a second ahead of Sara Hector.
For the Swede, the reigning Olympic giant slalom champion, it was a good sign of form ahead of the Olympic alpine competitions in Cortina d'Ampezzo, not far from Kronplatz. Hector has been on the podium three times in the World Cup this season.
Behind the podium trio, home-grown hope Federica Brignone impressed, making a long-awaited comeback in the World Cup after her serious crash last spring. Brignone, who won the overall World Cup last year, finished sixth.
