Mikaela Shiffrin wins World Cup night slalom in Flachau, Moltzan runner up

Just a little over per week in the past, Cami Rast (SUI) snatched a World Cup victory away from Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) in dramatic style, giving the American her first slalom lack of the 2025-26 season. 

She took that personally. 

Shiffrin overcame smooth snow, a foggy piste and elite competitors to win the annual night slalom in Flachau, Austria (1:50.52). It was her sixth win in the self-discipline this Cup marketing campaign and seventieth of her profession. She now has an all-time main 107 Cup victories.

It was another double podium raceday for the People — the second in a row for the ladies — as Paula Moltzan (USA) completed because the runner up (+0.41).  

Austria’s personal Katharina Truppe got here in third place (+0.65), narrowly edging Rast (+0.67), final yr’s course winner. It was the primary time since early December that the Swiss star did not safe a podium end.

Moltzan threw down a pair of stellar runs, which practically propelled her to her first ever World Cup victory. Nonetheless, Shiffrin, at all times the “Boogeywoman,” squashed these goals, as she’s executed to so many others. In keeping with Peacock’s Dan Hicks who was on play-by-play duties, the final American not named Shiffrin to win a Cup slalom was Lindsey Vonn in 2009. That was over 17 years in the past.

Nonetheless, Moltzan has been on hearth of late. Within the final 10 days, she’s collected two podiums and added a picket spoon for good measure. It is a formidable turnaround for the Minneapolis, Minnesota native who ended 2025 in virtually the worst means potential: posting two DNFs that included a crash, injuring her again. 

Falling occurs in snowboarding very often however how Moltzan has gotten again up and unleashed her finest stretch of the season is a testomony to her toughness. She’s unafraid, an essential high quality for any Olympian, which by the way in which, she certified for Milan Cortina a few weeks in the past.

Nina O’Brien, one other latest addition to Staff USA, positioned thirteenth, thanks in giant half to a dominant second run. She was twenty third after Run 1, however clocking in on the second quickest time of Run 2, solely 0.26 second behind Lara Colturi (ALB), leap-frogged her up 10 positions.

Liv Moritz (USA) got here in thirty second, her strongest end of the Cup season. As a result of she failed to achieve the top-30, although, she neither certified for the second run, nor picked up factors.

33 out of 76 racers DNF’d in Flachau, which included AJ Damage (USA), Elisabeth Bocock (USA) and Katie Hensien (USA), who made her first begin because the season opener in Soelden. 

Throughout a coaching session in November, Hensien fractured her tibia, forcing her to overlook time. Thankfully, the harm did not require surgical procedure, permitting the previous Olympian to return in underneath two months.

The slalom in Flachau represented the ultimate technical Cup race earlier than the Olympic qualification interval involves a detailed (Jan. 18). Shiffrin, Moltzan and O’Brien have all been chosen, and with a few Staff USA roster spots nonetheless open, U.S. Ski & Snowboard will collect to find out who ought to fill them.