SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM, Austria — Experiencing a fourth-place finish when medals are at stake can be disheartening, a sentiment that Paula Moltzan is all too familiar with.
At this year’s Alpine skiing world championships, Moltzan was part of the U.S. team that placed fourth in the mixed team parallel event. She also faced disappointment in the team combined event, where she couldn’t maintain the lead established by her partner, Lauren Macuga, during the downhill segment, ultimately finishing fourth after her slalom run.
Previously, Moltzan had also been a member of the U.S. team that took fourth place in the parallel event at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Despite the setbacks, her only major medal up until now had come from a victory with her teammates in the same event at the last world championships two years ago.
However, a breakthrough arrived on Thursday when Moltzan claimed the bronze medal in giant slalom, marking her first individual medal at this elite level. She finished just a hundredth of a second ahead of Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund, with the event won by Italy’s Federica Brignone.
“It feels incredibly special right now,” Moltzan said, reflecting on her achievement. “In ski racing, every hundredth of a second counts. So to come out on the right side in such a significant moment is truly amazing. Sharing this experience with my family, husband, and my entire team makes it even more special.”
Moltzan secured third place in the opening run, which took place under bright sunshine, and held steady during the second run as the light faded. As she realized she had clinched a medal, the Minnesota resident exuberantly celebrated, raising her arms in jubilation and waving to her supporters, who donned USA hockey jerseys emblazoned with her name.
Among those cheering her on were her parents, mother-in-law, father-in-law, close friends from Vermont, and her agent. “That’s my family right there,” she said, indicating her supporters in the stands.
Additionally, her husband, Ryan Mooney, who serves as her ski technician and unofficial coach, made his way down from the start area to join the post-race celebrations on the podium.
Long recognized as the United States women’s skiing team’s second-best technical skier, trailing only Mikaela Shiffrin, Moltzan’s medal came in an event where Shiffrin, the defending champion, did not compete as she focuses on regaining her giant slalom form following a crash last November.
Prior to the championships, Moltzan also achieved third place in the final World Cup giant slalom race, showcasing a series of good performances leading up to the world event. However, she faced a setback when she re-injured her hand while helping the team secure victory in the team event, which prevented her from finishing the giant slalom and caused her to miss her traditionally strong event, the slalom.
A decade ago, Moltzan won a slalom gold at the junior world championships, but a year later, she lost her place on the U.S. team due to subpar results. Determined to continue her skiing career, she enrolled at the University of Vermont, where she claimed the NCAA slalom title the following year. In 2018, while still at UVM, she secured 17th place in the World Cup slalom at Killington, earning enough points to return to Europe for World Cup events.
Despite not being on the U.S. team at the time, Moltzan and her then-boyfriend Mooney had to raise $50,000 on their own to travel and compete across the Alps. “My path has definitely been unique,” she remarked. “But I’m proud of every step I’ve taken, and adding this accomplishment feels great.”
Both of Moltzan’s parents were ski instructors at Buck Hill in Minnesota, where she joined an elite program run by Erich Sailer, a former coach of Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn, when she was just 12 years old.
As she establishes herself as a potential medal contender for next year’s Milan-Cortina Olympics, Vonn is also expected to compete at the age of 41.
Moltzan became the fourth American woman to secure a medal at the current world championships, following Macuga’s bronze in super-G, Breezy Johnson’s victory in downhill, and the gold for Johnson and Shiffrin in team combined.
“The U.S. women’s ski team is incredibly strong right now in both technical and speed events,” Moltzan noted. “There’s an energy that fuels us all; you can see the passion and determination from the speed athletes, and it motivates us to ensure we don’t miss out on the podium. Even without Mikaela Shiffrin, our strength in giant slalom is evident.”
Both Moltzan and Shiffrin are set to compete in Saturday’s slalom, each aiming for their second medal of the championships.
