Moltzan Sixth in Flachau; O’Brien Top 20
Under the lights at the women’s classic night slalom in Flachau, Austria, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Paula Moltzan led the charge for the team in sixth place. Nina O’Brien also posted her first slalom points of the season in 20th, respectively.
“I am happy I feel like I found a little piece of me again which has been missing for a few weeks,” said Moltzan.
It was a perfect night for the slalom, with Austrian crowds in full force lining the sides of the hill. The World Cup athletes gave the fans something to cheer for, met with solid conditions and a long slalom course set. On run one, Austrian Katharina Liensberger blew the field away by almost a second up from the second-place position. Moltzan ran 15 and was on pace with the winning time, setting a strong pace through all sections of the course. Despite a minor bobble, Moltzan kept her time within the top 10.
Hurt and O’Brien also showed strong skiing in the first run, with O’Brien going up from bib 45 to 21st, with Hurt in 20th.
The second run course set was nice and smooth for the women. Hurt and O’Brien ran back-to-back, making way for an exciting few minutes of racing. When she finished, O’Brien was just off the pace but still landed nicely into fifth place. Hurt was pushing hard but unfortunately fell and did not finish.
“I am very happy to score my first slalom point of the season,” said O’Brien. “There have definitely been some tough days in slalom so I feel relieved and satisfied.”
Finally, it was time for Moltzan. With roars from the immense crowd of 20,000, Moltzan skied aggressively over the tricky rollers on the hill with a commanding green light at each split and crossed the finish line in the green. She immediately skied up to her crew of Moltzan family and friends before being welcomed into the finish by her teammates. Moltzan settled for sixth place - a great day for the Minnesota native.
“It feels really good to do this at night and with my family here," said Moltzan. "I obviously still have a lot to go but we are getting closer to where I want to be. A green light always feels good so to see that green was amazing.”
Ultimately the win went to Swiss Camille Rast and second place to Swiss Wendy Holdener. Third place went to Swedish skier Sara Hector.
Katie Hensien of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team also raced but did not finish the first run. Independent skier Kendahl Roufa landed in 49th on the first run. The women’s tech team will switch gears to giant slalom next Tuesday, Jan. 21, in Kronplatz, Italy.
RESULTS
Women's slalom
