Anabelle Zurbay has made it a ski Sunday to remember. Making her Winter Olympics debut at age 17, the youngest member of Team Ireland finished 48th in the giant slalom on the revered slopes of Olympia delle Tofane in Cortina.
Over two physically challenging and highly technical runs, Zurbay displayed all the skill and composure which has already got her this far – as the course took out 21 of her rivals. The Colorado-based skier, whose grandmother hails from Co Westmeath, appeared well pleased with both her efforts, as well she might.
The 1,300m course featured 51 gates in all, plus a tricky jump just before the finish. Heading out 63rd among the 75 starters, reflecting her pre-race ranking, Zurbay finished her first run in 57th place, at which stage 13 skiers had already been taken out by the testing course.
Returning three hours later, Zurbay improved by nine places on her second run, moving up to 48th in the end. She will also compete in the slalom event on Wednesday.
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“I was definitely very nervous at the start of both runs,” she said. “But once you’re in the gate, you’ve just got to clear your head and go. Otherwise it’s not going to work.
“The second run felt less bumpy, and it was definitely a lot better than my first run. This definitely gives me more confidence, but it’s still the Olympics, definitely an experience, and excited to be bringing some of these stories home.”
Until a few weeks ago, Zurbay had never skied anywhere in Europe: “The course got a bit bumpier, which is to be expected, when you’re running later in the pack. And a lot of rolls, which I’m not quite as used to. I’m looking for a bit better in the slalom.”
It proved to be another thrilling showdown among the medal contenders, Italy’s Federica Brignone delighting the home crowd when securing another gold medal to added to her super G gold won last week.
The 35-year-old Brignone had only recently returned from leg surgery following a crash last April, but posted two superb runs – leading after the first run by 0.34 seconds before securing gold with a combined time of 2:13.50.
That left Brignone .62 ahead of Sweden’s Sara Hector, the defending champion, and Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund, who shared the silver medal.
Zurbay finished her first run in 1:12.82, with her combined time of 2:31.70 just over 18 seconds behind Brignone, who previously won bronze in this event in 2018 and silver in 2022.
Born in Minnesota, Zurbay had relocated to Vail in Colorado with her family at age 10, a move solely designed to better her skiing prospects. She then pursued her Irish Olympic eligibility thanks to her grandmother Rosaleen McCarthy Miskella, who grew up in Rosemount, just outside of Moate in Co Westmeath and now resides in Wisconsin.
On Saturday, meanwhile, history was made on the slopes of the Stelvio when Lucas Pinheiro Braathen from Brazil won the first Winter Olympics medal of any colour for a South America, striking gold in a thrilling giant slalom showdown.
Ireland’s Cormac Comerford was also back on the slopes, his third appearance at Milano Cortina, where he finished 42nd among the 81 starters, moving up four places after his second run. Comerford smashed a gate towards the end of his first run, losing an arm guard in the process, but recovered well to ensure he got a second run too.
The 29-year-old had already finished 37th in the super G, and 34th in his Winter Olympics debut in the downhill last weekend, and was once again well pleased with his effort. Eight skiers failed to complete their first run, another four sliding out on the second run.
Comerford still has Monday’s slalom to come: “At the start of the season, I set my goal, and the goal was to compete in all four disciplines,” said Comerford. “My points are much better in the slalom, so I should have a better starting bib.”
