Federica Brignone’s Italian Recipe for Skiing Success at 33

The 33-year-old Italian veteran shows little sign of slowing down as the oldest competitor on tour. Add Brignone’s mantra along with proficient coaching from her brother Davide and it’s a homemade Italian recipe for success.

SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM, Austria

Smiles abound, and as energetic and enthusiastic as ever, Federica Brignone happily bounced around the Saalbach finish area, chatting with all interested parties about her latest World Cup victory and highly impressive season.

Brignone claimed victory in the 11th and final GS of the waning World Cup season by a staggering 1.36 seconds last Sunday, March 18, amid rising temperatures and on a softening slope. She charged hard, surviving a glaring mistake, in a race where Lara Gut-Behrami clinched her second overall title and first GS globe with a 10th-place result. Brignone was brilliant again, finishing second in Friday’s super-G finale, 0.28 seconds behind winner Ester Ledecká.

The 33-year-old Italian from La Salle in the Aosta Valley relished her sixth victory of the season, spread across three disciplines. Brignone’s late-season surge included consecutive second-place finishes in speed events in Crans-Montana in mid-February, a super-G victory in Kvitfjell on March 3, a GS win in Åre on March 9, and finally, her dominant racing display in Saalbach. 

“I’m so proud of what I’ve been doing all season—it’s my best season overall, and these last three weekends have been amazing,” said Brignone, the 2019-20 overall World Cup champion.

“I enjoyed the whole season. I was always skiing fast, every day, in all conditions and wanted to show it here to myself also.

“This is how I’ve been skiing in training, and to do it in a race is even more amazing— making the impossible possible,” she said with her beaming smile.

With the convincing triumph, Brignone eclipsed her record for a third time as the oldest female racer to win a World Cup GS at 33 and nearly eight months. The only female to win at an older age than “Fede” is Elizabeth Goergl. The Austrian sped to a super-G victory in Val d’lsère at 33 years and ten months during the 2014-15 season. The Italian star will have a chance to surpass Goergl next October in Soelden.

The “Charging Tiger” surprises herself

The Saalbach victory extended Brignone’s career to 27 wins, affirming her status as the most decorated Italian female World Cup ski racer. The “Charging Tiger” increased her lead to three over injured teammate Sofia Goggia.

“For me, it’s always a surprise—I’m never expecting to win,” Brignone said in the Saalbach finish area. “It’s always so difficult.”

The Italian veteran’s late-season charge kept her in contention for the overall, GS and super-G globes while pressuring her Swiss opponent down the homestretch. However, for “Fede,” time and races simply ran out. 

Gut-Behrami clinched her second World Cup title with an insurmountable 1,680 to 1,472 points advantage over Brignone after the GS.

Brignone finished just 21 points short of Gut-Behrami in the World Cup GS standings and 30 behind in super-G.

She didn’t seem overly disappointed, yet reflected upon what could have been better.

“Sometimes this winter, especially in January, I was skiing really fast in training, but I couldn’t do it in a race,” Brignone said. “I put too much pressure on myself and wanted too much. I was making mistakes, throwing away too many races trying to be in front, fighting with Lara for the overall and GS globes.”

The perfect Italian recipe

Brignone’s close cooperation with her brother and coach, Davide, has flourished. At just 30, Davide, a former racer, has proven himself to be one of the top coaches on tour, even if more heralded names receive greater attention.

“My brother is an amazing coach and amazing person and I have to give him a lot of credit for everything,” Brignone says, as evidence of their mutual passion for ski racing. “He doesn’t want to take the credit for himself. He wants and is trying his best for me.

“I also have to thank my technician. Along with him, we have a really great team together,” she says, referring to Mauro Sbardellotto.

Add Brignone’s mantra: “Risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible,” and you have one homemade family recipe for success.

“Everything makes a difference, and I think what we also sometimes forget about is having fun,” she says. “We have a good group—you remember not only the good times and victories but also rising up from difficult periods to win. It has all been really amazing.”

Brignone was eighth in downhill training in Saalbach on Wednesday. She is riding a surge of momentum and striving to conclude her season on a high note in Saturday’s season-closing downhill.

Don’t be surprised if Brignone surprises herself and makes the “impossible possible” again.

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