Shiffrin Top Five; Bocock Personal Best in Kronplatz
Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete and two-time Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin led the way with a fourth-place finish in giant slalom at Kronplatz, Italy, on Tuesday. Teammate Paula Moltzan followed in eighth, while youngster Elisabeth Bocock delivered a career-best result in 12th.
“It was really cool to see the top women skiing today,” said Shiffrin. “You have to ski perfect, no mistakes, full intensity. And even when I go full intensity, I still have some mistakes so there’s just more work to do.”
The Italian resort was bathed in sunshine with fans lining the course and filling the grandstands. It was an especially exciting day for the home crowd as Federica Brignone made her return after being sidelined by a crash last spring that kept her out for much of the season. She finished sixth.
The first run featured a tough, swingy and turny set, reflected in the wide spread of times from the leaders through the top 30. Despite the challenge, the U.S. women pushed hard in run one and positioned themselves well for the second run.
As shade crept onto the course for run two, the set opened up significantly, requiring the athletes to attack with more speed. AJ Hurt and Nina O’Brien both pushed aggressively but did not finish. Bocock, however, laid down a blistering second run to climb into a new career-best 12th place.
“Just putting together two runs feels successful,” said Bocock. “I feel like I’m getting better at executing the plan.”
Moltzan followed with an aggressive, confident performance, earning the green light and a spot on the leaderboard. Her time held briefly as competitors continued to push the pace.
“I’m happy to find the finish line two more times in a row, which is nice,” said Moltzan. “I’m a little bummed with how I skied the first run, but ending up with another top 10 feels great and keeps building my consistency.”
Shiffrin skied last among the U.S. women, bringing intensity from top to bottom and initially slotting into the lead. Ultimately, several athletes found another gear, leaving Shiffrin just off the podium in fourth. Still, it marked a strong performance and a positive step forward toward the Cortina Games.
“Fourth is interesting, because from where I was last year, I would have dreamed of getting fourth, no problem,” said Shiffrin. “But now I want more.”
The winner of the race was Austrian Julia Scheib. Switzerland’s Camille Rast was second, with Sweden’s Sara Hector in third.
The U.S. women’s tech team now turns its focus to the next stop in the Czech Republic, where they will contest a giant slalom and slalom on Jan. 24 - 25, the final races before the Winter Games.
RESULTS
Giant slalom
