Shiffrin Dominates in Courchevel with Win 105
On Tuesday’s night slalom in Courchevel, France Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin dominated the field to take her 105th World Cup victory and fourth slalom victory of the season. Stifel U.S. Ski Team teammate Paula Moltzan skied strong to fifth - winning the second run.
“I need to push every race, and I feel the pressure in the start, but when it goes right, it goes right,” said Shiffrin.
It was a nice, clear-skied evening in France for the women’s slalom team. After a couple of weeks off from slalom, the women were ready to send under the lights. First up for the American team was none other than Mikaela Shiffrin, who has shown incredible dominance in the discipline from the start of the season in Gurgl. She did not fail to prove her talent on run one as she fought through each tricky section with grace. Her determination was unmatched as she crossed the finish line in first by almost a second.
“I have really high-quality skiing right now, so when I am nervous, I know how to focus,” said Shiffrin. “But it takes so much precision to do this, and I don’t take that for granted.”
Then teammate Paula Moltzan skied strongly to land in the top ten. However, it would come down to the second run to determine the top spots.
“I am so thankful and proud of the work that my team has done it’s been really phenomenal work which makes it easier for me to do a good performance,” said Shiffrin.
On the second run both Moltzan and Shiffrin brought their A game. Moltzan with a classic second run send, not only winning second run but moving up to fifth place. Shiffrin skied strong and fast to extend her slalom lead to 1.55 seconds over second place Camille Rast of Switzerland and Germany’s Emma Aicher.
“I’m happy to have found some consistency in my slalom but I’m definitely looking for more speed on first run,” said Moltzan. “All there is to do is keep moving forward and pushing. Excited to have more racing soon.”
Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes Elisabeth Bocock, Nina O’Brien and Liv Moritz also raced but did not qualify for run two.
The women’s tech team will now enjoy the Christmas holiday before heading to Semmering, Austria Dec. 27-28 for a giant slalom and slalom race.
RESULTS
women's slalom
