Canmore's Britt Richardson 27th as Moltzan upsets Shiffrin in World Cup opener
Paula Moltzan claimed her first career World Cup win in Sölden, Austria, while Mikaela Shiffrin slipped to seventh after leading the opening run.
The Alpine ski racing season opened Saturday on the Rettenbach glacier in Sölden, Austria, with a women's giant slalom that saw American Paula Moltzan claim her first career World Cup victory at age 32. Mikaela Shiffrin had led after the first run but faltered in her second, dropping to seventh place.
Canmore, Alta.'s Britt Richardson finished 27th in the race, the only Canadian result noted from the event. Albania's Lara Colturi placed second, while Germany's Emma Aicher, runner-up to Shiffrin in last season's overall standings, took third.
Shiffrin, who matched the women's record of six World Cup overall titles last season, has described this campaign as an 'exploration season' in which she plans to race less slalom and focus more on giant slalom and super-G. She hasn't won a giant slalom race since December 2023 or a super-G since 2022, having scaled back her schedule after serious crashes in Cortina in early 2024 and Killington later that year. She still holds the women's records for career wins in giant slalom (22), slalom (73) and overall (110).
A men's giant slalom was scheduled for Sölden on Sunday.
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