It was a successful few days for the freeskiers of Team USA at Leysin Park & Pipe during the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 with U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Kiernan Fagan earning slopestyle gold and teammate Hunter Henderson snagging the bronze. Sweden’s Melvin Moren skied his way to the silver medal. Kiernan had a strong run right out of the gate earning first with a score of 87.33 in his first run of finals. That confidence carried over into his second run where he nailed a clean line and secured the top spot.

“To walk away with a gold medal at an event we won’t have another shot at was one of the greatest moments,” said Kiernan. “To have my mom out here and friends supporting me definitely played a part in me winning the gold. Having my teammate Hunter Henderson right behind me in third place was one of the coolest things.”

Sharing the podium was a special moment for both Kiernan and Hunter who have been skiing together and pushing each other since childhood. After a rough first run, Hunter was able to bounce back into third place with a score of 88.66 on his second run.

“Representing Team USA in an Olympic event has been a dream of mine ever since I was in grade school,” said Hunter. “Coming out to Youth Olympic Games and walking away with a medal is the best feeling in the world."

That winning momentum carried into the next day’s halfpipe competition for Team USA with U.S. Freeski Rookie Team member Hanna Faulhaber taking bronze behind China’s Fanghui Li earning silver and Eileen Gu Ailing taking the top spot with the gold.

“I tried to treat it like every other competition, but I definitely was a little nervous,” said Hanna. “I quickly realized the scope of the event and how big the Youth Olympics Games really is when I arrived. It’s a much different atmosphere than a World Cup and it’s really special to compete with athletes from all over the world who are representing their nation. I’m extremely happy with my results and hope to carry momentum into the Mammoth Grand Prix and the rest of my competition season.”

Meanwhile, on the men’s side, U.S. Freeski Rookie Team member Hunter Carey took the silver behind Canada’s Andrew Longino and ahead of New Zealand’s Luca Harrington in third.

"The last Youth Olympic Games was four years ago, and my friend from Winter Park, Birk Irving, was in it," said Hunter. "He got first place, which was insane. Everyone was hyped in Winter Park. To come back four years later and take a medal home to Winter Park is super cool. Going into finals, I was going to do a more mellow run [for the first run] just to get points on the board, but I figured points don't matter unless it's 'go big or go home'. I threw down one of my hardest runs first, landed really well, got a decent score so I was feeling confident. I went back up, did the same run - but did it better - so that went really well. I was going to try to step it up on the last run to hopefully take over the top, but it just didn't go to plan, but I'm still stoked. It honestly feels amazing. Since I was a little kid, I always wanted to be on the U.S. team. Coming here and getting second place for the U.S. is really nice."

Freeski competition will continue in Lausanne, Switzerland with men's and women's big air finals on Wednesday. 

RESULTS
Men's freeski slopestyle
Women's freeski slopestyle
Men's freeski halfpipe
Women's freeski halfpipe
 

Kendall Kramer and Will Koch led Team USA, each skiing to Youth Olympic Winter Games bronze medals in their respective classic events Tuesday in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

"Winning a medal feels absolutely amazing, particularly after getting fourth place earlier in the week," Will said. "My dad was out on the hardest part of the course cheering me on and giving me splits, so I knew for the entire race that I would need to fight for each second if I wanted to get onto the podium."

In the women’s 5k classic, Kendall skied to the biggest accomplishment of her young career, finishing 20-seconds off the gold-medal time set by Sweden’s Maerta Rosenberg (14:15), and 12 seconds back from the silver-medal time of Siri Wigger (14:28). Sydney Palmer-Leger just missed the medals by a few seconds, finishing fourth. Nina Seemann was 35th.

In the 10k classic men’s race, Koch took the bronze with a time of 27 minutes, 29 seconds. Russia’s Lliya Tregubov won the gold with a time of 26:40, and Elias Keck grabbed the silver medal with a time of 27:25. Brian Bushey was 13th, and Kai Mittelsteadt was 48th.

"I was in a podium position for nearly the entire race,"  Will said. "But then, with one kilometer left, I moved into fourth place. In the last couple of minutes, I skied harder than I have ever skied in my life and secured the bronze by three seconds."

Up next, the Youth Olympic Winter Games wrap up for cross country, ski jumping and nordic combined with a mixed team Nordic event on Wednesday.

RESULTS
Women’s 5k classic
Men’s 10k classic
 

Maddie Bowman, a seven-year member of the U.S. Freeski Team, announced her retirement from competitive halfpipe freeskiing today. The South Lake Tahoe local is one of the most decorated athletes in her sport and leaves behind a lasting legacy of triumph, perseverance, and progression. 

“I have decided to step away from halfpipe skiing for a simple reason,” said Maddie. “I have given everything I have to progress the sport and now I know the women after me will do an amazing job. I would not have been able to be so successful or give the sport so much without the support of my sponsors and U.S. Ski and Snowboard. I also wouldn't have been so prepared to make this huge decision without them. The team and the halfpipe community has raised me into a woman with a voice, with passions both inside and outside of sport, and who knows when it's time to walk away. However, I will be a skier for the rest of my life. Skiing is my passion and I will be following it this season to Chamonix, France, where I will explore the backcountry and the big mountain side of things. Thank you all so much for your support as a halfpipe skier and into my lifetime career of being a skier and educator.”

Maddie’s accolades in halfpipe skiing are countless, and a few stand-out moments will be cemented in the history books. Maddie won the first Olympic gold medal in the history of women’s halfpipe freeskiing at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games. With the world watching, she put a beautiful representation of her sport on display. In 2018, Maddie made her second and final Olympic Team and finished 11th. However, she showed her true colors as she watched her teammate and friend Brita Sigourney step onto the podium to receive the bronze medal. Although Maddie would have loved to have been on the podium herself, being the fierce competitor and friend she is, she was one of the first people to greet Brita with tears of congratulations. This was one of many moments throughout her career that Maddie’s role as a supportive teammate and leader became clear. It was always about the sport and not the individual to Maddie. 

On the FIS World Cup circuit, Maddie continued to prove she was at the top of her sport earning nine podiums, five of which were victories. At X Games, Maddie was the second skier ever to win four-straight gold medals in Aspen, Colo. She’s collected a whopping nine total X Games medals throughout her career (five gold, two silver, and two bronze). She is also a three-time (2013, 2014, and 2016) Association of Freeskiing Professionals (AFP) halfpipe champion. Maddie has always focused on pushing the sport including landing back-to-back 900’s and the switch 900 at the highest level of competition. Throughout her career, her determination and discipline have allowed her to overcome season-ending injuries and come back stronger than ever.

“Maddie has had such a huge impact on the sport and the U.S. Freeski program overall,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Freeski and Snowboard Director Jeremy Forster. “Her competitive results stand on their own. Although, Maddie has done as much away from competition as a teammate, mentor, role model, and representative of the sport to establish her legacy. We look forward to working with Maddie as she takes this next step.” 

Maddie’s status as a role model is unquestionable. She has focused on increasing women’s participation in sport, combatting climate change, pursuing a college education, and even pushing her own limits stepping into the backcountry. Due to her undeniable success, she’s also been at the center of criticism as it relates to the pace of progression in women’s freeskiing. Her reaction and grace throughout these difficult times may actually be her most impressive career accomplishment. She never responded with malice, but rather through her actions, continuing to advance the boundaries of the sport. She even created her own event called “Recess”, where she provided a fun, stress-free environment for women to ski and progress.

Moving forward, Maddie will continue to pursue her Bachelor’s degree in biology at Sierra Nevada College with the ultimate goal of becoming a high school science teacher. Maddie plans to carry on with public speaking, telling her story and sharing her experiences to inspire others. Also, Maddie looks forward to enjoying the outdoors, whether it’s mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, or venturing more into the world of backcountry skiing.  

“Maddie has been a huge influence, not only to me, but to the entire sport of women’s halfpipe skiing,” said 2018 Olympic halfpipe bronze medalist Brita Sigourney. “She led us to where we are now with her constant progression of technical tricks years ahead of the rest of the game. She was a fierce competitor and always fun to watch, even when she was beating me at every contest and dominating the scene for so many years in a row. But Maddie has always been more than just my competition. She is my ‘little sister’, my powder-skiing-sidekick, my travel buddy, and my loyal friend. I know she will go on to accomplish even bigger things.”

Maddie has come a long way since her parents started her on skis on her second birthday on a small slope behind Sierra-At-Tahoe’s lodge, the mountain she still represents today. The journey isn’t over for Maddie and we look forward to her new adventures. If the past is any representation, Maddie will move forward to thrive with the same spirit that’s brought her so much success and made her the freeskiing icon she is today. 

For all media and public speaking engagements, please contact Maddie via her agent Tom Yaps (tom@emmllc.com) with Evolution Management.
 

The men finished out the weekend in Wengen, Switzerland with a slalom on one of the trickiest tracks on the FIS Ski World Cup circuit. The Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team men had a tough day, with no Americans qualifying for a second run.

Clement Noel of France started first and never gave up the lead, taking another win on the track where he had his first World Cup victory last season. Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway finished second—his third World Cup slalom second-place result in a row—and Alexander Khoroshilov of Russia was back on the podium in third.

Starting bib 44, the light turned green in the first split for Luke Winters, showing an early lead for the young skier who has had a number of impressive moments so far this season. But he struggled over the pitch—getting low on his line before straddling and DNFing.

“I was happy with how I went out of the gate,” said Luke. “Especially with my second run at Adelboden—not really pushing like I needed to—I thought I did that today. But I didn’t change gears coming over the pitch and lost it from there down. That said, I’m happy with it. It’s my first time on the hill—there’s a lot to learn here.”

Wengen is a difficult track with all kinds of terrain changes including steep pitches, rolls, side hills, and flats, making it difficult to find a rhythm. The fact that Luke was leading at the first split on his first attempt on the hill is a promising threat of future success. “I know I’m fast. I know I can ski well and keep up with those guys,” said Luke. “I just have to find that gear. There are things I learned today—like coming over that pitch: You gotta change gears. You’re not going to win it on the pitch because it’s so steep… I tried to bring the intensity on the pitch and didn’t need to.”

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team slalom coach Ryan Wilson agreed with Luke. “Green light again and then Luke went out, but we are happy with his fast skiing and setup,” Ryan commented. “We are in great spirits, as he was fast as heck before he went out.”

Ben Ritchie finished the first run, but had a few mistakes and did not qualify for a second. Kyle Negomir and River Radamus did not finish their first runs.

The men’s slalom team is heading to the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team's official training base in Folgaria, Italy for a few days of training before attacking the two wildest slaloms on the tour: Kitzbuehel and Schladming. And these young guys are excited to see the culture at the two storied races.

“I’m looking forward to the scene,” said Luke of Kitzbuehel. “I think it’s going to be crazier than anything I’ve done so far in my ski racing career, so that’s going to be exciting. But also the track—it’s so crazy and so many rolls. My family is coming and there’s going to be a lot of people there supporting me and watching me.”

The men’s speed team starts downhill training at Kitzbuehel on Tuesday with a super-G kicking off the races on Friday. The slalom takes place on Sunday.

RESULTS
Men’s Slalom

STANDINGS
Overall
Slalom

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Official event hashtag: #lauberhorn

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Sunday, Jan. 19
5:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Wengen, SUI - NBC**
9:00 p.m. - Men’s slalom, Wengen, SUI - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow. 

The parallel giant slalom made its debut on the women's FIS Ski World Cup circuit today in Sestriere, Italy, where current overall leader Mikaela Shiffrin extended her lead in the overall despite landing in ninth, and Nina O’Brien finished a career-best 11th place. 

Mikaela had the fastest time in the morning’s parallel giant slalom qualifier, followed by Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener and Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova. Nina had the ninth-fastest qualifier time heading into the race. After the qualifier, all indications were leading to a battle between Mikaela, Wendy and Petra. However, in an unexpected turn of events, all three of the favorites were beaten—Petra in the 1/16 final to Swiss Aline Danioth, and then Mikaela and Wendy both in the 1/8 finals. 

France’s Clara Direz—who beat Mikaela in the 1/8 final, skied fast and strong all day, going on to snag her first World Cup podium and victory, while Austria’s Eliza Moerzinger was second, and Italy’s Marta Bassino rounded out the podium in third. Three Italians were in the top five, with Marta Bassino beating teammate Federica Brignone in the small final and Sofia Goggia finishing fifth. 

The results stirred up some controversy about the fairness of the event, with social media erupting after the race and fans expressing frustration with not only the fairness of the event but the change in event format as well. In parallel races in past seasons, the qualification run results did not carry through to the round of 32. Once athletes qualified, they were seeded according to World Cup Start List (WCSL) ranking. Then, the better-ranked skier got to pick their course for each single-run (or knockout) round. In City Event parallel races, there were two runs in each round, rather than this knockout round format. 

Though she said it’s unbelievable and was excited to win the first-ever parallel giant slalom on the calendar, Saturday’s victor Clara admitted she is not sure how fair the event really is. “I don’t know if it’s really really fair or not,” she said. I’ve been lucky today because I was always on the blue course for the last runs, so I’ve been a little bit lucky. So I won’t complain about that. I’m pretty happy about winning today my first World Cups, so I won’t say something bad about that, but yeah.” 

In all single-elimination heats, only three skiers ever won from the red course, while 17 won on the blue course. Additionally, in the quarterfinals, one out of eight women (Sofia) won on the red course. In the round of 32, Mikaela was .42 seconds faster on the blue course, Wendy .32 seconds faster on the blue course, and Federica .38 faster on the blue course. Never one to complain and always diplomatic, Mikaela said she likes the event and thinks it has potential for viewers and TV, but admitted it could use some refinement. 

“This is the first parallel GS we’ve had, and it is fun—I think I like the parallel GS more than the parallel slalom, but it’s a little bit difficult,” she explained after Saturday’s race. “There’s still a lot of work we have to do, and FIS has to do, to really make the race as even as it can be…there’s always a faster course, but today it’s like they’re not even the same course at all. Especially in the last four or five gates on the blue course, you can even see just looking up the hill, that it’s straighter than the red course.”

Mikaela continued, “I don’t normally talk about luck playing a role in the results, even yesterday being .01 out, I feel like that was in my control, especially in the first run. But today I would say it’s a day where luck really plays a role so you just have to take it and be OK…all in all, it is fun and I think people like to watch it—it’s just a work in progress to make the event the best it can be. This event is still in its infancy, it is fun and I see the appeal and excitement, but it’s just how it is. I wasn’t the one to make the red course work today, but there are a couple of girls who are doing that really well, so they’re going to have a really nice race.”

Nina skied strong in the qualification Saturday morning, and carried the strong skiing through to the race, scoring a career-best 11th place. In the first qualification run, Nina was second behind Mikaela, by just .05 seconds. Despite the fact that Austria’s Katharina Huber was ahead after the first run in the round of 32, Nina kept her wits about her and ended up moving onward to qualify for the 1/8 finals. Tina Robnik of Slovenia beat Nina by just .01 seconds in the 1/8 final and did not move forward to the quarterfinals. “I’m really happy to be leaving Sestriere with an 11th place and personal best,” she said after the race.” It felt really good to put some of my best skiing out there today. I love the competitive aspect of parallel, and I finally felt like I rose to the challenge today. It’s always a little tough to lose by one hundredth, but I left it all on the hill and I’m happy with my skiing.” 

Keely Cashman and AJ Hurt also started but did not qualify for the round of 32. AJ Hurt finished the qualification round just outside of the 32. Mikaela maintains, and in fact extends her lead slightly in the overall standings, with 975 points to Petra’s 726. Federica closed the gap in third to a mere 15 points, with 715 points. 

Up next for the women is a speed series in Bansko, Bulgaria, including two downhill races—including a rescheduled race from Val d’Isere, France—and one super-G. Mikaela is planning to head to Bansko for the series, “I’m excited...I’ve never been to Bansko. It sounds like it’s a fairly technical slope, so it should be really fun, and I’m looking forward to it. 

RESULTS
Women's Parallel Giant Slalom
Full Results (including qualification and add’l rounds)

STANDINGS
Parallel
Overall

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Official event hashtags: #skiworldcupsestriere

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Sunday, Jan. 19
5:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Wengen, SUI - NBC**
8:00 p.m. - Women’s parallel giant slalom, Sestriere, ITA - NBCSN*
9:00 p.m. - Men’s slalom, Wengen, SUI - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow. 

Jessie Diggins once again lead the way for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team in Sunday’s FIS Cross Country World Cup 10k classic pursuit in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, finishing in 10th. Rosie Brennan was 13th and Sadie Maubet Bjornsen was 20th.

“Today was a much better day for me,” said Rosie, who finished 17th in Saturday’s 10k freestyle. “I had much better energy and really enjoyed skiing today...I feel good that my energy is coming around after the (Tour de Ski) and things are headed in a good direction.”

Saturday’s course conditions were soft and sugary. However, Brennan noted that the course conditions Sunday were much improved. “The snow held up a little better today so it wasn't quite as tricky as yesterday and I was thankful for that,” she said. 

Norway’s Therese Johaug, who also won Saturday’s race, skied to victory again Sunday. Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva was second for the second-straight day, and Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg rounded out the podium in third. Julia Kern was 32nd, Caitlin Patterson was 44th and Alayna Sonnesyn was 51st.

Coming off the Tour de Ski earlier this month, a number of athletes came out of the nine-day event with a bump in fitness. But some, including Sadie, was one of the unfortunate ones to also catch a post-tour cold. 

"Recovering from the tour is a challenge of its own," Saide said. "Balancing the excitement of the experience with the fatigue is never easy. I managed to catch a cold post-tour, and thought I had done a good enough job of resting, but I think I got a hair excited, which left me feeling flatter than I would have hoped (in Saturday's 0k freestyle). That combined with challenging conditions made for a perfect storm of imperfection yesterday."

In the men’s 15k classic pursuit, David Norris was the top American in 30th. Ian Torchia finished 64th.

Up next, the FIS Cross Country World Cup moves to Oberstdorf, Germany, for a skiathlon Saturday, Jan. 25, and classic sprint Sunday, Jan. 26. 

"My plan is to take a bit more rest, and then just participate in the sprint race next weekend in Obertsdorf, Germany," Sadie said. "When you love racing as much as I do, it can be easy to just keep charging on, and forget to plan ahead. There is another tour event coming in hot, so I will take this opportunity to make sure I am fully recovered, and stronger than ever coming into the next period of racing."

RESULTS
Women’s 10k classic pursuit
Men’s 15k classic pursuit

Overall World Cup Standings
Women
Men

Distance World Cup Standings
Women
Men

U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member Taylor Gold rounded out the podium at the 2020 Laax Open halfpipe finals in third place by landing the first-ever double Michalchuk 1080 in snowboard halfpipe competition. 

“I was so stoked to put my new trick in a run,” said Taylor. “To end up in third was unreal. It feels like I finally got some redemption for three years of dealing with my knee injury.”

Taylor’s result serves as his fourth World Cup podium, and his first since 2015. A top-three finish at the Laax Open, arguably Europe’s pinnacle park and pipe snowboarding event, should be a confidence builder moving forward into the remainder of the season. 

“Taylor’s never been done double Michalchuk 1080 was the perfect way to end a classic Taylor Gold run,” said U.S. Snowboard Halfpipe Pro Team Head Coach Rick Bower. “Huge amplitude, unmatched style, and textbook execution are what Taylor is known for. It has been an epic five-year battle returning from a shattered knee cap, but now the world knows Taylor Gold is back.”

U.S. Snowboard team rider Chase Blackwell finished in a respectable sixth place, followed U.S. Rookie Team rider Jason Wolle in seventh. Jason showed great confidence in only his second World Cup final ever with huge amplitude in a run that resembled controlled chaos from top to bottom. 

In a very familiar scenario, Australian Scotty James continued his winning streak from January of 2018 to remain the FIS Cup Standings leader. Yuto Totsuka of Japan finished in second place. 

FIS Snowboard World Cup halfpipe competition will continue after X Games next week in Aspen, Colo. at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area where halfpipe qualifications are set to go down on Jan. 29, followed by finals on Jan. 31. 

RESULTS
Men’s snowboard halfpipe
Women’s snowboard halfpipe

CUP STANDINGS
Men’s snowboard halfpipe
Women’s snowboard halfpipe
 

The second FIS Freeski Slopestyle World Cup competition of the 2019-20 season hit Italy’s Seiser Alm resort on Saturday where U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Caroline Claire stomped a bold second run to top the podium. 

“Today was unreal,” said Caroline still reeling from the day’s event. “I went into today pretty sore after taking a big fall in practice on Thursday, so I wasn’t really sure how I’d fare in finals. Then finals practice was firing and everything starting clicking for me on the course. I was able to get a few reps of my switch double cork 900, which I wanted to try in my slope run. I’m just happy that when it came down to it, I was able to link up a clean run that included that new trick! It’s always a pleasure to come back to Seiser Alm and ski my best!”

Putting together an ultra-smooth rail line at the top of the course, Carline set herself up in the jumps with a right-side 540 before dropping the heaviest trick of the day in the women’s competition - a switch left double cork 900 safety on the second jump. Finishing things off with left side 720 tail grab, Caroline climbed into the top spot for her second career World Cup victory at the very same venue where she took her first win back in 2017-18 and her first World Cup podium in 2016-17. With her win, Caroline moves into the third position in the FIS Slopestyle Cup Standings. 

Johanne Killi of Norway finished in second, and Elena Gaskell of Canada finished in third. 

For the men, U.S. Freeski Team’s Colby Stevenson took third place. As the top qualifier, Colby earned his fourth World Cup podium at the venue where he claimed his first, and so far only, World Cup win back in 2016-17.

“The weather was better than forecasted and we were able to have an awesome competition,” said Colby. “I nailed my first run and was good enough for third place. I’m happy to land what I had planned. I’m feeling healthy and excited for all the competitions to come!”

Birk Ruud of Norway won the event and Fabian Boesch of Switzerland finished second. 

After a break next week during X Games Aspen in Colorado, FIS Freeski Slopestyle World Cup will continue at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area where slopestyle qualifications are set to go down on Jan. 29, followed by finals on Jan. 31.

TRICK LISTS
Women

1. Claire - down rail left 270 on, snowpad to tailslide 270 out down rail, up rail rightside slide frontside 450 out, right 540 safety, switch left double 900 safety, left 720 tail

2. Killi - wide rail switch right tailslide 270 out, snowpad to left 270 on down rail, up rail rightside slide frontside 450 off, left 900 tail, switch left 720 safety, switch right 720 japan

3. Gaskell - wide rail left 270 on 270 out, switch right on to the snowpad rightside slide pretzel out, right 900 opposite tail, switch left 900 japan, left 900 tail

Men

1. Ruud - right 450 on pretzel 270 out on waterfall rail, switch left onto the wall to transfer backside 270, left 270 on cork 650 off up rail, switch left double cork 1260 mute, right double bio 1440 mute, right double cork 1620 toxic

2. Boesch - right 270 on pretzel 270 off, super fed, switch left 270 on misty 450 safety off up rail, switch right double bio 1260 safety, left double 1620 tail, switch left double 1440 double japan

3. Stevenson - switch left 270 backswap to switch, switch right 270 pretzel 450 japan, left 270 backslide safety to 270 out, switch left double 1440 stale, switch right double 1260 double japan, left double 1440 cuban

RESULTS
Women’s freeski slopestyle
Men’s freeski slopestyle

CUP STANDINGS
Women’s freeski slopestyle
Men’s freeski slopestyle
 

Under the sunshine in Sestriere, Italy, Mikaela Shiffrin was third Saturday in a giant slalom where just .01—that's one-hundredth of a second—separated three women. Italy's Federica Brignone and Slovakia's Petra Vlhova tied for first. 

Mikaela's fourth-fastest first run was a "little sloppy," as she said, and she sat .42 seconds out going into the second run. But, she skied a solid second run, .23 faster than anyone else, which gave her something to smile about after the last couple of weeks. "The second run I was more aggressive and cleaner with my skiing, so I was happy with that," she reflected. "But, in the end, when it's .01 seconds and the two girls ahead were tied for first, I'm like...arghhhh...well, that's how it goes. That's ski racing."

In a challenging and deep women's giant slalom field, five different women from five different nations have stood on the top step of the podium—New Zealand's Alice Robinson in Soelden, Austria, Italy's Marta Bassino in Killington, Vt., Federica in Courchevel, France, Mikaela in Lienz, Austria, and now Federica and Petra in Sestriere. For certain, the level of women's giant slalom is increasing, and to Mikaela, that's fun and motivating to see. 

"I said this almost every race last year. It's not easy," Mikaela said. "It is never easy to win and you can ask Fede and Petra—it wasn't like they just skied down, had a nice Sunday drive and won the race...they were both skiing really hard and really well, and that's why they ended up ahead. For me, last year, that happened a lot, but it was never easy. It's motivating to have so many athletes that are able to be on the top this year, but it's also not something I didn't expect. Everyone is motivated, everyone wants to win, and I think the most exciting thing for me is that people have stopped asking me, 'Are you unbeatable?' I feel like we're all racing and it's just normal now."

When your "normal" is 11 podiums in 15 starts with four victories, it's a good thing. And that's the case for Mikaela. Last year, in a record season with 17 World Cup victories that may never be topped, she acknowledges that she was on the right side of the hundredths many times. 

"I know, especially last season, I had the lucky side of the hundredths many times, so sometimes I’m not going to be on the lucky side, too," she said. "For me, giant slalom has always been the most difficult event to find my timing and my technique, because you have to be pushing 100% super aggressive with the line and with how you’re skiing, but also really precise with the technique. It can be really challenging to find the balance between those two, and it’s so easy to lose the time if you’re not going as hard as you can. Right now, a lot of the athletes have a pretty good idea of what that balance needs to be. That means different winners, and everybody’s hungry."

The ongoing rivalry between Mikaela and Petra has become a main topic on the FIS Ski World Cup circuit and is arguably the most exciting storyline the sport currently has. Even so, Mikaela is quick to point out the respect she has for her rival. “One of the things I respect the most about Petra is she has a really disciplined, great style of skiing…but she does—and she did—the work to come out on top," she commented. "There aren’t many athletes who have been willing to do that, so the last years I’ve been able to stay on top, maybe because I was doing more work or smarter work, or something. So it does feel a little bit like I have to find something new [to get back on top], but also I just have to get my feeling in slalom back. It wasn’t there in Zagreb...and in Flachau, too – I skied the best I could that day, but I know it’s not the best I could ski. She was able to win because she did the work, so I am looking forward to doing better work.”

After narrowly making the flip, tied for 30th in the first run, Nina O'Brien went on to ski two solid runs and finish 29th. This is the third time this season she's scored World Cup giant slalom points. AJ Hurt, Keely Cashman, and Paula Moltzan also started in Saturday's giant slalom but did not qualify for a second run. 

Mikaela still has a commanding lead in the overall title race, with 946 points—233 points ahead of Petra, and 281 points ahead of Federica. The hardest part to swallow about a third-place finish by a mere .01 is that it's the sizable difference between 100 points and 60 points, and though it's 60 more points for Mikaela, she now trails Federica in the giant slalom standings by 61 points. It'll be tough with how strong Federica is in the discipline, but there are still three more giant slaloms on the World Cup calendar and anything is possible. 

Up next, the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes take on a parallel giant slalom on Sunday, in the event's FIS Ski World Cup debut on the women's circuit. When asked about whether or not she'll find revenge tomorrow with rival Petra, Mikaela answered, "I don’t normally ski with revenge. I don’t have this sort of vindictive personality. Tomorrow is a new day, and it’s a new opportunity and I’m really looking forward to racing and we’ll see what happens. I’m just going to do my best, try to bring a little bit more fire and go for it."

RESULTS
Women's Giant Slalom

STANDINGS
Giant Slalom
Overall

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Official event hashtags: #skiworldcupsestriere

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Saturday, Jan. 18
5:00 p.m. - Women’s giant slalom, Sestriere, ITA - NBC*
8:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Wengen, SUI - NBCSN*
9:00 p.m. - Women’s giant slalom, Sestriere, ITA - NBCSN*

Sunday, Jan. 19
3:45 a.m. - Women’s parallel giant slalom qualifying, Sestriere, ITA - NBC Sports Gold
4:15 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 1, Wengen, SUI - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
5:30 a.m. - Women’s parallel giant slalom, Sestriere, ITA - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
7:00 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 2, Wengen, SUI - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
5:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Wengen, SUI - NBC**
8:00 p.m. - Women’s parallel giant slalom, Sestriere, ITA - NBCSN*
9:00 p.m. - Men’s slalom, Wengen, SUI - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow. 

After heavy snowfall overnight, the sun came out for the 90th anniversary of the Wengen downhill. Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Bryce Bennett put down a blazing run to take seventh place in the downhill—his best finish so far this season.

Beat Feuz of Switzerland dominated his run, thrilling the Swiss crowd by winning the race handily. Beat has now podiumed in an impressive 16 of the last 18 FIS World Cup downhills. Dominik Paris of Italy, who was going for his third downhill win in a row, was second and Thomas Dressen of Germany took third.

Bryce, who has had moments of brilliance on Wengen's Lauberhorn track before, including a fifth place finish in last season’s downhill, was thrilled about the run. He wore bib 1 and energized the crowd in the finish—pumping his fists over his 6-foot-7-tall body.

It had been a tough year for Bryce leading up to the Wengen World Cups. He hadn’t had a top-15 result until Friday’s alpine combined, and struggled to finish in the points in many of the races. He’s looking at Wengen as a turning point.

“This season started off really poorly and I really had to find some things very quickly and ask some questions to myself,” said Bryce. “I was excited I was able to make some quick decisions and change a few things in my skiing and execute today in this downhill. It just feels good to get some confidence back in my skiing, which I did not have in the first couple of months.”

Ryan Cochran-Siegle also had a solid day; even with a mistake, he put down a 14th place finish. “I was actually happy with the mistake,” said Ryan. “Downhill is tough to make up for that and I think I saved the run with my skiing below that. I was just trying to ski more aggressively and a bit more direct and try to shave time. With that risk comes the ability to make mistakes. Overall, I’m pleased.”

Also skiing into the points were Steven Nyman in 21st, Jared Goldberg in 22nd and Travis Ganong in 27th. Sam Morse finished 51st.

Next up, the tech men get a chance in Wengen with a slalom on Sunday, while the speed skiers are packing up their things to head to the wildest World Cup on the circuit: Kitzbuehel.

“The one place you don’t want to go without confidence in Kitzbuehel,” said Bryce. “Having a little bit of confidence in your skiing is very helpful and having some good focuses is going to be really important for next weekend.”

RESULTS
Men’s Downhill

STANDINGS
Overall
Downhill

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Official event hashtag: #lauberhorn

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Saturday, Jan. 18
8:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Wengen, SUI - NBCSN*

Sunday, Jan. 19
4:15 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 1, Wengen, SUI - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
7:00 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 2, Wengen, SUI - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
5:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Wengen, SUI - NBC**
9:00 p.m. - Men’s slalom, Wengen, SUI - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.