Shiffrin Wins Again in Semmering, Cochran-Siegle Fifth in Bormio
Mikaela Shiffrin took win number 79 in the second Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup giant slalom in Semmering, Austria. Stifel U.S. Alpine Team athlete Paula Moltzan continued her impressive season with another top 10 result.
“It’s not easy -- it was very dark and bumpy these past two days so I just tried to push and I am really happy with these races,” said Shiffrin on her win. “I expected some rough spots but I just tried to be as quick as possible and push harder.”
It was another challenging day on the Semmering track. The temperatures were a bit cooler with some winds, poor light and some bumps still in the course. On the first run, Shiffrin knifed her way to a clean run, skiing into second place behind Swiss skier Lara Gut-Behrami’s near-perfect first run. Stifel U.S. Alpine Team athlete Paula Moltzan made it into 24th after her first run, grabbing a good start bib for the second run.
“I was really bummed after the first run so I made a good plan to be full gas with nothing to lose,” said Moltzan on her great result. “We are coming into a busy period so I am excited to keep building into all of these races.”
On the second run, Moltzan posted the second fastest run of the day bumping her result all the way up to ninth place. This is her third giant slalom top ten of the season. Shiffrin then sped her way down to overtake Gut-Behrami, winning by 0.10. Marta Bassino of Italy continued her giant slalom podium streak with a third place finish.
Shiffrin's win puts her even closer to a milestone result. The record for the most World Cup wins by a woman skier stands at 82 victories, and clinching 79 wins puts that historic marker closely within Shiffrin's sights.
Stifel U.S. Alpine Team athletes Nina O’Brien finished first run in 34th, Stella Johansson in 40th, Katie Hensien in 47th and Ava Sunshine in 52nd. They did not qualify for a second run.
In Bormio, the men’s speed team was back in action on the infamous icy and bumpy downhill track. Stifel U.S. Alpine Team athlete Ryan Cochran-Siegle lead the way with his best result of the season in fifth.
“It was a step in the right direction, especially relative to my skiing here last year,” said Cochran-Sielge on his effort, who has had top-10 results in Bormio before--including his first World Cup win in the super-G in 2020--but was 20th in 2021 in the downhill.
Stifel U.S. Alpine Team athlete Erik Arvidsson also finished well in 16th place from bib 46, his best result this season and second best result in his career. “I'm really excited for Erik with his 16th. That is really well earned on this track,” commented Cochran-Siegle.
Travis Ganong also finished in the points, taking 24th. Sam Morse was 36th and Kyle Negomir 38th. Jared Goldberg and Bryce Bennett did not finish.
The men’s team will switch to super-G in Bormio. The women finish out the Semmering races with a night slalom on Thursday.
RESULTS
Women's giant slalom
Men's downhill
HOW TO WATCH
Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022
5:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup, Men's Super-G, Bormio, Italy, streaming on skiandsnowboard.live
9:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup, Women's Slalom, first run, Semmering, Austria, streaming/on demand on Peacock
12:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup, Women's Slalom, second run, Semmering, Austria, streaming/on demand on Peacock
