Shiffrin Second, Moltzan Fifth in Courchevel

On Thursday’s women’s night slalom World Cup in Courchevel, France, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete and the greatest skier of all time Mikaela Shiffrin took second place, her 145th World Cup podium. Teammate Paula Moltzan was close behind in fifth.

The conditions were variable with snow spraying and a light drizzle, but the weather did not stop Shiffrin from firing first run with bib number one. She blazed down into first place with Slovakian skier Petra Vlhova hot on her tail in second.

Moltzan ran bib three and had a strong run to maintain a fourth-place position. Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete AJ Hurt also skied fast from bib 45 to 22nd place first run.

On the second run, the snow was inconsistent, the fog settled in and rain and snow started to come down hard, affecting visibility. Racers had to show confidence and grit to make it down to the finish in a good position. Hurt ran first for the U.S. women, skiing without any mistakes to secure a top 30 position, and ultimately finish 25th. Moltzan ran next for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, but mistakes bumped her back to fifth place overall - a tremendous result given the bobbles. Shiffrin ran last and skied cleanly, but couldn't quite beat Vhlova's strong second run, finishing .24 seconds behind the Slovakian. Austrian Katharina Truppe in third.

"She (Vlhova) was stronger today, but I had some really good skiing," said Shiffrin. "These are days you learn so much and to come away with a podium still is really exciting. It keeps me fresh in a way. Petra is just an incredible slalom skier, an incredible skier. It's not possible to beat her unless I'm at 100%."

It is the 23rd time Vlhova and Shiffrin have finished 1-2 in a World Cup slalom race, with Vlhova having won 10 races and Shiffrin 13. Shiffrin still holds the overall World Cup lead, as well as the slalom lead.  

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes Zoe Zimmermann and Allie Resnick also raced but did not finish.

The women’s tech team picks back up with a series in Lienz, Austria Dec. 28-29. The Stifel U.S. Ski Team will race one more time before the holidays, with the men at the Madonna di Campiglio, Italy night slalom Dec. 22.

RESULTS
Women's slalom

HOW TO WATCH (all times in ET)
Dec. 22, 2023
11:45 a.m. - Madonna di Campiglio, men's slalom, run 1 - skiandsnowboard.live
2:45 p.m. - Madonna di Campiglio, men's slalom, run 2 - skiandsnowboard.live