Moltzan and Lapanja Score First World Cup Points

FLACHAU, Austria (Jan. 12, 2016) – Veteran Resi Stiegler led the U.S. team in a night of ‘firsts’ at the Audi FIS Ski World Cup slalom Tuesday night, taking 15th. But under the lights, it was a pair of young U.S. Ski Team members that shined, with Paula Moltzan (Lakeville, MN) and Lila Lapanja (Incline Village, NV) scoring their first career World Cup points.

Veronika Velez Zuzulova of Slovakia won the race for her third career World Cup win. Sarka Strachova of the Czech Republic was second, followed by World Cup slalom leader Frida Hansdotter of Sweden in third.

Moltzan and Lapanja joined Stiegler in qualifying for the second run, and both scored their first career World Cup points. Lapanja was 23rd and Moltzan finished 25th. Stiegler, qualifying for the first time in her career for a second run at Flachau, was 15th.

“I’ve been kind of a head case on this hill for a long time,” Stiegler said after the first run. “I just need to start pushing it to the limit, and it doesn’t matter if you go out, or make mistakes. I’m past the point of solid runs; I need to have something spectacular to make it into the top 10, top five.”

Resi Stiegler competes during the World Cup slalom on Tuesday night in Flachau, Austria. (Getty/Agency Zoom-Christophe Pallot)

Indeed, Stiegler displayed something spectacular on the second run. Letting the skis run, she compressed on a roll midway into her second run and got launched onto the tail of her skis. She recovered, and despite initially scrubbing some speed, made up time on the lower section of the course and crossed the line into third position.

“I went into the second run just knowing I had to go for it all out,” she said. “I didn’t think I was going to launch off that roll as much as I did, but somehow I just whipped it back and kept going for it. It was good mentally to fight for it all the way to the finish.”

Resi Stiegler skis to 15th in Flachau.

Skiing in only her third World Cup start, Lapanja came out of the 37th start position and laid down a smooth first run, finishing 22nd. Lapanja, who made her World Cup debut earlier this season in Aspen, went back to the NorAm circuit and won a pair of slalom races in Panorama, BC last month before joining the team in Europe after the holidays.

“I had to be a little bit smarter with my tactics (on the second run), let the skis go out a little bit more, but I was a little bit impatient because I was so amped,” Lapanja said. “I feel pretty good, but I’m a competitor and I already know what I want to do differently to go even faster. But this is an amazing start and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Lila Lapanja grabs her first World Cup points, taking 23rd.

Moltzan, the slalom champion at the 2015 Junior World Championships, put down two solid runs in her 14th World Cup start. She finished 26th on her first run and then charged the course on the second run to score her first career World Cup points.

“It’s pretty exciting!” she said. “Second run wasn’t quite what I was hoping for, but I fought the whole way down and scored my first World Cup points.”

Up next, the women race another slalom under the lights again in Flachau Friday night, followed by giant slalom Sunday.

Paula Moltzan takes 25th in Flachau.

HIGHLIGHTS

• This was the highest prize purse in World Cup history for the women with 74,000 Swiss Francs ($73,804.42 USD) award to the winners
• Lila Lapanja scored her first points Tuesday night in her third World Cup start. By comparison, Mikaela Shiffrin scored her first World Cup points in her fourth start and Lindsey Vonn scored her first points in her 12th start.  
• Paula Moltzan scored her first points Tuesday night in her 14th start.
• This was the first time both Moltzan and Lapanja qualified for a second run in a World Cup race.
• Tuesday’s victory was only the third career World Cup win for Veronika Velez Zuzulova, who debuted on the circuit in 2000.
• This was the first time Stiegler has qualified for a second run at Flachau in six career starts at the Austrian resort.

QUOTES

Resi Stiegler
I went into the second run just knowing I had to go for it all out. I didn’t think I was going to launch off that roll as much as I did, but somehow I just whipped it back and kept going for it. It was good mentally to fight for it all the way to the finish. I’ve been kind of a head case on this hill for a long time. I just need to start pushing it to the limit, and it doesn’t matter if you go out, or make mistakes. I’m past the point of solid runs; I need to have something spectacular to make it into the top 10, top five.

Lila Lapanja
I feel pretty good, but I’m a competitor and I already know what I want to do differently to go even faster. But this is an amazing start and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

I had to be a little bit smarter with my tactics (on the second run), let the skis go out a little bit more, but I was a little bit impatient because I was so amped.

Paula Moltzan
It’s pretty exciting! Second run wasn’t quite what I was hoping for, but I fought the whole way down and scored my first World Cup points.

RESULTS
Women’s slalom