American skiers are excelling on the World Cup circuit as the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics draw near, with Mikaela Shiffrin dominating in slalom and Lindsey Vonn shining in downhill at 41 years old. This was evident when Shiffrin and Paula Moltzan, a native of Minnesota, secured the top two spots in a night slalom race, marking the second time in four days that two Americans stood on the podium together.
Shiffrin extended her remarkable season in slalom by claiming her sixth victory out of seven races, finishing ahead of Moltzan by 0.41 seconds on a challenging course in Flachau. Katharina Truppe of Austria took third place, thrilling the home crowd, while Swiss racer Camille Rast finished fourth, 0.67 seconds behind Shiffrin.
With the Winter Games approaching on February 6, the American skiers are gearing up for their performances. Shiffrin’s win in Flachau marked her 107th World Cup victory, her 70th in slalom, and her sixth in the same venue. Meanwhile, Moltzan, still in search of her maiden win, secured her fourth second-place finish and third podium result of the season, showing her determination to challenge Shiffrin.
In the same race, Canadian skiers also took to the slopes, with Ali Nullmeyer from Toronto finishing 21st and Laurence St-Germain from St. Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que., just behind her. Unfortunately, Kiki Alexander of Cochrane, Alta., was among the athletes who did not finish the run, while Amelia Smart from Invermere, B.C., was disqualified for unspecified reasons.
The performance of American and Canadian skiers is setting the stage for an exciting Winter Olympics, where they will aim to continue their strong showing on the international stage.