Paula Moltzan produced a stunning late run to claim her first Alpine skiing World Cup victory on Saturday, becoming the oldest woman to record a maiden World Cup win. The 32-year-old American finished the season-opening giant slalom in Sölden, Austria, with a combined time of 2min 14.82sec, narrowly denying Italy-born Lara Colturi by 0.01sec.
Moltzan moved up from fifth after the opening run with a superb second descent, crossing the line just one-hundredth of a second ahead of Colturi, who finished in 2min 14.83sec. Germany’s Emma Aicher took third, 0.52sec behind Moltzan.
Mikaela Shiffrin, who had led earlier in the competition, slipped down the standings to finish seventh after a less decisive second run. The shift in positions highlighted the fine margins at the top of the field on a course that opened the World Cup season.
The result marks a notable milestone in Moltzan’s career, as she becomes the oldest woman to claim her first World Cup victory. The tight finish and dramatic changes in the leaderboard underlined the competitive depth in women’s giant slalom as the season gets under way in Sölden.