Shiffrin Captures Win 103 in Gurgl; Moltzan Fifth
In the second slalom of the season in Gurgl, Austria, Mikaela Shiffrin delivered another commanding performance to claim her 103rd World Cup victory and 66th World Cup slalom win. Stifel U.S. Ski Team teammate Paula Moltzan also skied to an impressive fifth-place finish.
Conditions on the Austrian slope were brisk and unforgiving, with a tricky course set and aggressively dry snow that challenged the entire field. Shiffrin, however, attacked from the start with her trademark precision, building a 0.31-second lead after run one.
“There is some improvement to be made,” said Shiffrin. “This run I want to shoot to be more clean. But my run was very good, so we will see.”
Moltzan followed with a solid first run, shaking off a few small bobbles to land in sixth. The rest of the U.S. crew opened the day strong as well, with Nina O’Brien skiing into 20th and AJ Hurt into 29th, setting the stage for an exciting second run.
“I think my first run was chaotic,” said Moltzan. “I want to work on minimizing my mistakes with more tactics in the tricky sections. I am going to go for it.”
As the second run began, the anticipation grew amongst the lively Austrian crowd. Hurt and O’Brien were the first Americans to push out of the gate, but unfortunately, neither skier reached the finish. Both are OK.
Moltzan delivered the U.S. team’s momentum shift, charging through deep ruts and grooves to take the hot seat at the finish. She ultimately moved up one spot, but the remaining skiers had strong enough runs to keep her in fifth.
Then came Shiffrin. Unshaken and all business, she skied to her limit, gaining time at nearly every interval and winning by a remarkable 1.23 seconds. Shiffrin has yet to lose a slalom run this season, sending a clear message that she remains in peak form. Albania’s Lara Colturi finished second, and Switzerland’s Camille Rast rounded out the podium in third.
Up next, the women head back home to the United States for the Stifel Copper Cup presented by United Airlines at Copper Mountain, Colorado, Nov. 29-30.
RESULTS
Women's slalom
