Jan 04, 2026
3 min read
Michael Shiftin' General Podium Blonde's Prague grad Moltzan gets a strong password after fall in Semmering
Mikaela Shiffrin was full of praise for American alpine skier Paula Moltzan on Saturday after her outstanding performance and third-place finish in the giant slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.The impressive result came just days after Moltzan crashed in the giant slalom.
The result marked Moltsen's seventh career World Cup podium, with Nina O'Brien and Elizabeth Pocock finishing in the top 15 at the event.The event further highlighted the US team's readiness for the 2026 Winter Olympics next month.
Mikaela Shiffrin takes on Paula Moltzan in Saint Slalom
Molzahn endured a tough time in Semmering last week, but proved her quality with a podium finish in Gora. Swiss skier Camille Rast took the title, followed by Austria's Julia Scheib and Moltzan. Rast clocked an impressive 2 minutes and 0.09 seconds, while Moltzan narrowly missed out on the win. The American was just 0.47 seconds behind Rust.
After the race, Shiffrin congratulated Molzahn on his endurance and praised him for coming back so quickly from his crash to finish in the top three.In a post on Instagram Stories, the 30-year-old Colorado native wrote:
"Tbh, I have no idea how you did it after last weekend, but we're just making the bow harder [applause emoji]."
Shiffrin was also in the giant slalom performance at Gora on Saturday.But it managed only fifth place in this event.The decorated skier hopes to continue her impressive form in Sunday's slalom.It won the first five World Cup slalom events of the season.
"I think the difference between 'happy' and 'satisfied' is that I want to get faster but I'm moving forward and I feel really good about it. To be here after a year and now to be in the mix with the fastest women is incredible," Shiffrin said of her performance (via Ski USA).
Considered one of the greatest alpine skiers of all time, Shiffrin has a total of 106 World Cup wins.The two-time Olympic gold medalist also aims to continue his exemplary performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.
Despite being a strong favorite, Shiffrin failed to medal at the previous 2022 Winter Olympics.He failed in the slalom and giant slalom and finished ninth in the Super-G.Shiffrin won gold in the giant slalom and silver in the combined at the 2018 Winter Olympics.He also won slalom gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics at the age of 18.
Assembling with Shiffin in the 2026 Water Olympics the people like MOLTZAN and Lindsey Winn.The other Taam USA are noted in Milan-corrtina cochran-isle and ale hall.The winter Friday is starting at February 6, 2026, at least 22 February.
