Mikaela Shiffrin has a six-pack.
Shiffrin beat out teammate Paula Moltzan to win the night race in Flachau, Austria, on Tuesday, Jan. 13, finishing 0.41 seconds ahead with a time of 1:50.52. It was the sixth slalom win of this World Cup season for Shiffrin — she’s won all but one of the slalom races — and extended her lead in the overall standings to 170 points with one slalom race left before the Milano Cortina Olympics.
Moltzan was the second-to-last skier, and waited in the finish area for Shiffrin. The two exchanged a long hug after Shiffrin crossed the finish line. It was Moltzan’s third time on the podium this season, but first in a slalom race.
Nina O’Brien had the second-fastest time in the second run, and moved up to 13th.
‘It’s amazing to share this with Paula,’ Shiffrin said. ‘Podiums with teammates are the best thing in the world.’
This was the second consecutive race that the U.S. women had two people on the podium, following Lindsey Vonn and Jackie Wiles finishing 1-3 in the downhill on Saturday, Jan. 10, in Zauchensee, Austria.
Shiffrin had won the previous five races in Flachau, which is held under the lights. On a day when soft snow tripped up many a skier — there were 29 DNFs and two disqualifications in the first run and another four DNFs in the second — that experience showed.
‘It’s always a challenge every time. This hill is super hard,’ Shiffrin said.
Shiffrin and Moltzan finished 1-2 in the first run, separated by 0.16 seconds. The top skiers were all aggressive in the second run, trying to knock Shiffrin and Moltzan out of those top two spots.
But Moltzan didn’t back off in her run, starting fast and continuing to push all the way down. She was in first when she finished, putting the pressure on Shiffrin to deliver. She did, hitting the gas as soon as she left the start gate and never letting up.
The course was challenging, with rollers that took several skiers out of their rhythm. But Shiffrin navigated it almost perfectly, not slowing as she went over the rollers and looking as if the snow was hard and packed rather than soft and mushy.
Shiffrin’s mouth dropped when she crossed the finish line and saw her time. She then found Moltzan to celebrate.
‘It’s been a big push,’ Shiffrin said. ‘There’s such high-level slalom skiing, it was really cool to be part of it today.’
