Madi Hoffman wore bib number 57, marking her out as the 57th starter on the course. ( Supplied: FIS/Christopher Pallot )
Australia's Madison Hoffman has delivered the nation its best FIS Alpine World Cup result in almost three decades with a phenomenal eighth place in Levi, Finland.
The 26-year-old finished in eighth place in the slalom at the World Cup opener, her first career World Cup top 10.
The result was Australia's best since Olympic bronze medallist Zali Steggall's eighth place in 1999 at the French resort of Serre Chevalier.
Steggall had two career World Cup podiums, winning at Park City, Utah, in 1997 and a second in 1998, finishing her World Cup career with 11 top 10 finishes.
Hoffman, who has twice endured lengthy spells off the snow due to ACL injuries in 2022 and 2024, said the performance would take some time to settle in.
"It hasn't hit me yet, but I'm definitely proud, especially after a long slog with some injuries," Hoffman told the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia.
"Tearing both my knees in 2024 and coming back last year, it feels good to be back racing."
Madi Hoffman was the lowest-ranked starter in the top 30. ( Supplied: FIS/Christopher Pallot )
Hoffman's achievement was all the more remarkable given she was wearing bib 57, meaning 56 skiers had already attempted the course before her.
As skiers complete a course, particularly in slalom races, their skis cut through the snow, making it all the more difficult for those following to carve their own line through the gates.
To illustrate the point, the top three finishers, Emma Aicher, Lara Colturi and Katharina Truppe, wore bibs 1, 2 and 3 respectively, with seven of the top 10 in single-digit bib numbers.
Hoffman was the lowest-ranked starter to ski in the second run, limited to the fastest 30 finishers from the first run.
No Australian had finished as high as eighth in a World Cup event since Zali Steggal in 1999. ( Supplied: FIS/Christopher Pallot )
The Sydney athlete defied those conditions to register the 13th-fastest opening run, before completing the job with a sublime second run that pushed her personal boundaries even further.
"In the first run I chose to trust myself and not try to do anything more or anything less than training," Hoffman, who finished 23rd in the slalom at the Milano-Cortina Olympic Games, said.
"In the second run I thought I'd try to give it a little bit more oomph, but it was the same stuff, trying not to do anything crazy on race day, just normal skiing."
Hoffman's fellow Milano-Cortina Olympian Phoebe Heaydon just missed out on making the top 30, finishing 0.12 outside the cut off in 31st place, although that was still a lifetime World Cup personal best for the 21-year-old.
