Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin closed out the World Cup season in dominant fashion, claiming her 101st career victory on home snow in Sun Valley, Idaho, in front of thousands of roaring fans, just weeks after she rewrote history with her 100th World Cup win in Sestriere, Italy.
“I just want to be able to ski some of my best turns on home soil,” Shiffrin added. “I know where I stand; I know that my very best skiing in slalom is fast, but anything aside from my best, then it’s anybody’s race.”
Sun Valley has been home to the Stifel Sun Valley Finals, providing an atmosphere that every ski fan dreams of. With the best alpine athletes in the world and thousands of fans showing up for the week-long event, it’s been a week to remember. And today, the World Cup season has come to an end with one last race – the men’s and women’s slalom.
The women kicked things off, Shiffrin ran bib two, led from the first run, and never looked back, finishing ahead of Lena Duerr of Germany and Wendy Holdener of Switzerland. U.S.’s Paula Moltzan was also on the startlist, finishing run one in sixth, just two days after a gnarly injury that left her face torn up after sliding off course and into the b-netting. Moltzan ultimately ended the day in sixth overall and 11th in the FIS Alpine slalom overall standings, a solid season-ending result.
As the day continued, the race unfolded on a course that grew increasingly challenging as temperatures rose throughout the day, softening the snow and creating a rougher surface for the later racers. But despite the conditions, Shiffrin knifed her way through both runs with the precision only Shiffrin can master.
“I have felt so much support from U.S. fans, and being able to return back home for the final races of the season is super exciting,” Shiffrin said. “It’s just cool to be here and share this atmosphere with the U.S. fans and so many young racers in this area who are so excited to be here.”
Shiffrin’s win today marked her 101st World Cup win and 157th podium, but today was not easily won. Just this past November, Shiffrin sustained a severe abdominal injury at the Stifel Killington Cup.
After months of rehabbing and strengthening, Shiffrin made her World Cup comeback in Courchevel, France for the night slalom.
Then, she headed to World Championships where she became a gold medalist alongside long-time teammate, Breezy Johnson.
Days later, she was back on the World Cup circuit in Sestriere, Italy and achieved a monumental feat – winning her 100th World Cup. And today, Shiffrin ended her 2024-25 season back on top of the podium, giving the U.S. fans even more to cheer about – her 101st World Cup victory.
With the season now in the books, Shiffrin will look ahead to a well-earned break before preparing for another year on the circuit. And if history is any indicator, there are likely many more milestones still to come.
Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Paula Moltzan also had a very strong day after crashing hard in the giant slalom. Moltzan had a strong first run even with a sizable mistake that landed her in eighth place. Moltzan fought through intense pain to put on a show for the home crowd.
“Today I was fighting a lot of demons. I was in a lot of pain. I hurt my ankle when I crashed, so it was kind of a mind over matter,” said Moltzan.
On her second run she knew what to do and skied aggressive and gritty to move up two spots and leave the race with a solid sixth place position. Moltzan also closed out the World Cup season with the most World Cup points she has scored in a season.
“I’ve had quite the roller coaster of a season,” said Moltzan. “I’ve had some really high highs and some really low lows, but I’m proud of the team and I am excited to see what next year brings.”
The women’s tech team will now take some well deserved days off before heading into spring training.
Leave a Reply