Mikaela Shiffrin snagged the silver medal in the 2021 FIS World Ski Championships giant slalom—her third medal of the World Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, and the 10th World Championships medal in her career. Nina O’Brien finished 10th.

It was a thrilling race, with the stateside U.S. fans waking up to see Shiffrin leading after the first run and fellow Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team teammate O’Brien just .02 seconds behind her in second place. Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland was in third, only .09 seconds off the lead.

The two women hugged and screamed after O’Brien’s fast first run, with Shiffrin telling reporters that this was how O’Brien usually trained—and that she’s always been one to keep an eye on in races. Visions of Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves going 1-2 in the 2005 World Champs danced through U.S. ski racing fans’ heads and Burke Mountain Academy students gathered around screens at school to watch their two famous alumna duke it out for the medals.

Running 29th in the second run, O’Brien attacked out of the gate and built on her time, continuing to show green at each split, until she made a small mistake just a couple gates from the finish and lost all of her speed. She ended up in 10th place—still the best giant slalom finish in her career.

“I didn’t quite bring it across the line on the second run, but I’m really happy,” said O’Brien. “I’m glad I went for it. I was definitely pushing the whole way down and I made some good turns. It’s actually still my best GS finish ever—a good day! It feels good to see that my speed stacks up against those girls, so that’s cool—something to hold on to.”

Then it was Shiffrin’s turn, who hammered down the turny second run, but finished just .02 seconds behind Gut-Behrami, who won her second medal of the World Championships. However, Shiffrin wasn’t disappointed in her performance, which brought her medal total to three at the 2021 World Championships—one of each color.

“It’s always like, what could I have done that was two-hundredths faster?” she said. “I’m actually pretty excited. The last two GS races, I was losing a lot more time the second run…I just kept thinking, keep pushing! Keeping a silver and being so close and hanging on to a medal when there’s a really big competition for the podium together with so many girls within three tenths or five-tenths of a second, it was really not guaranteed, so that’s pretty cool.”

Shiffrin wasn’t exaggerating about how close the race was: It was the closest World Championships victory in history. Just .09 seconds separated the medals, with Katharina Liensberger of Austria taking third place with the fastest second run—even after going down on her hip near the finish.

This brings Shiffrin’s medal total to 10 during her World Championships career, placing her third on the all-time list of World Champs medal winners of the modern era, and was her third time medaling in giant slalom. She claimed silver in 2017 and bronze in 2019.

AJ Hurt and Paula Moltzan also started for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team in the giant slalom. Neither finished first run and are OK.

Next, the men race giant slalom on Friday before slalom wraps up the World Championships over the weekend. “I’m looking forward to it,” said Shiffrin on defending her slalom title. “Just gotta get a little bit of recovery before that and then go for it one more time at this World Champs.”

RESULTS
Women’s World Championship giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Thursday, Feb 18
4:30 p.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Friday, Feb. 19
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
6:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Saturday, Feb. 20
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:00 p.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Feb. 21
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men' Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
6:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
12:00 p.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBC

U.S. Snowboardcross Teammates Lindsey Jacobellis and Mick Dierdorff finished second and third respectively at the World Cup in Reiteralm, Austria Thursday on an icy and fast course, reminiscent of east coast conditions. 

“I love the speed and I love the ice because it’s very east coast and where I’m most comfortable and confident,” said Jacobellis, a Stratton Mountain School graduate. “I did have some trouble with the start because I’m dealing with some injuries with my hamstring and my hip, so those compressions are a little challenging. I knew I had to just try to be in the mix because I was running the bottom half of the course really fast. I absolutely loved turn two. It was pretty hairball to go through and it helped to ignite my energy throughout the rest of the course.”

Jacobellis’s podium marks her 54th World Cup Podium in 97 starts. However, to Jacobellis standards, the winningest snowboardcross athlete of all time has recently experienced a World Cup podium drought, earning her last podium in 2019. 

“It feels really good to be back on the podium,” she said. “It’s been a long haul with injuries and racing mileage adding up on my body. It feels good to know I’m still in the mix and not falling off the back end.”

2019 FIS World Champion Dierdorff, claimed his third World Cup podium. He also felt the course gave him a competitive edge. 

“The courses I have thrived on in my career have been gnarly and a bit sketchy,” said Dierdorff. “That’s when I feel like I have an edge because I love to just send it. I never had the lead going into turn two, but moving towards turn three and four I felt like I was out working some people with better lines. Today was such a fun day.”

The U.S. Snowboardcross Team has collected five podiums from four different athletes in only three World Cup races this season. The culture and team camaraderie is as strong as ever. 

“It’s been a while since our whole team has vibed so well together,” said Dierdorff. “We are all pushing each other, supporting each other, and everyone’s riding so well. On any given day, anyone on our team could end up on the podium.

Hometown favorite Alessandro Haemmerle of Austria won the event and Spain’s Lucas Equibar took second. U.S. Snowboardcross Team member and 2018 Junior World Champion Jake Vedder raced well making it to the small final and finishing seventh. 

For the women, Italy’s Michela Moioli won the event and France’s Chloe Trespeuch rounded out the podium in third. Three U.S. riders broke the top-20 with Faye Gulini in 10th, Meghan Tierney in 12th, and Stacy Gaskill in 13th. 

Next up, the U.S. Snowboardcross Team will head to the Bakuriani, Georgia, World Cup March 3-5 for a two-race program. 

WATCH THE REPLAY ON PEACOCK

RESULTS
Women’s Snowboardcross Finals
Men’s Snowboardcross Finals
 

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U.S. Ski & Snowboard has named 16 athletes to represent the United States at the 2021 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships in Kazakhstan March 8-11. 

The 2021 iteration of Freestyle World Championships was originally scheduled to take place in Zhangjiakou, China, as well as serve as test events for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. However, due to COVID-19 health and safety measures implemented by the Chinese health authorities and government, those events were cancelled. The Kazakhstan Ski Association is putting in an enormous amount of effort to host this major event on short notice. All stakeholders involved feel confident that as experienced World Cup organizers, they will hold a successful World Championships. 

“Losing the 2020-21 Freestyle World Championship and Olympic test events in China this season was a blow, but we are grateful for FIS and the Kazakhstan Ski Association’s willingness to relocate and still provide the competition opportunity,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Freestyle Director Jeremy Forster. “This season has been like none other and I am incredibly impressed not only at the resilience our athletes have shown, but the success they have achieved on the World Cup level.” 

Shymbulak Mountain Resort will host both aerials and moguls competitions. The resort is one of the most modern resorts in Central Asia and has a rich history of hosting sporting events. Shymbulak played host to the 2017 Winter Universiade and has hosted Freestyle World Cup competition in 2020 and 2019. Immediately following World Championships, Kazakhstan is also scheduled to host aerials and dual moguls FIS World Cup Finals.

The U.S. Freestyle World Championships Team boasts an impressive roster of World Championships medalists as well as up-and-coming talent. 

For moguls, double World Championships medalists Jaelin Kauf and Brad Wilson, as well as youngest American Freestyle World Championships medalist Tess Johnson will lead their team of eight. Hannah Soar, Kai Owens and Nick Page, all who have podiumed in World Cup events this season, will make their World Championships debut. Dylan Walczyk will make his fourth World Champs appearance. Jesse Andringa earned his first World Championships team spot, but unfortunately due to an injury sustained at the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International, is unable to compete. Alex Lewis will round out the men in his first World Championships appearance.

2017 Aerials World Champion and World Record Holder for hardest acrobatic trick ever landed by a woman Ashley Caldwell will make her fifth World Championships appearance. Caldwell leads a deep field of women, who have collectively been on a podium streak in 2021, in Kaila Kuhn, Megan Nick (2021 marks her first World Championships team) and Winter Vinecki. Veterans Chris Lillis and Eric Loughran will chase World Championships hardware for the second time in their careers. Justin Schoenefeld and Quinn Dehlinger will make their World Championships debut. 

2021 U.S. FREESTYLE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM
(Name; hometown; club; birthdate; past World Championships Teams)

Moguls
Women

• Tess Johnson (Edwards, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 6/19/00; 2019)
• Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 9/26/96; 2017, 2019)
• Kai Owens (Vail, Colo.; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; 8/16/04)*
• Hannah Soar (Somers, Conn.; Killington Mountain School; 6/4/99)*

Men

• Jesse Andringa (Boulder, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 12/15/97)** 
• Alex Lewis (Carlisle, Mass.; Killington Mountain School; 11/16/99)*
• Nick Page (Park City, Utah; Wasatch Freestyle Foundation; 8/1/02)*
• Dylan Walczyk (Rochester, N.Y.; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; 6/25/93;2013,2017,2019)
• Brad Wilson (Butte, Mont.; Wasatch Freestyle; 6/5/92; 2013, 2017, 2019)

Aerials
Men

• Chris Lillis (Pittsford, N.Y.; Bristol Mountain Freestyle Team; 10/4/98; 2019)
• Justin Schoenefeld (Lawrenceburg, Ind.; Elite Aerial Development Program; 8/13/98)*
• Eric Loughran (Pelham, N.H.; Loon Mountain Freestyle; 12/4/95; 2017, 2019)
• Quinn Dellinger (Cincinnati, Ohio; Elite Aerial Development Program; 6/8/02)*

 Women

• Ashley Caldwell (Ashburn, Va.; Elite Aerial Development Program; 9/14/93; 2011, 2015, 2017, 2019)
• Kaila Kuhn (Boyne City, Mich.; Park City Ski and Snowboard; 4/8/03; 2019)
• Megan Nick (Shelburne, Vt,; Elite Aerial Development Program; 7/9/96)*
• Winter Vinecki (Gaylord, Mich.; Park City Ski and Snowboard; 12/18/98; 2019)

*Denotes first World Championships team
**Sidelined with injury, but met team criteria

COMPETITION SCHEDULE
2021 FIS Freestyle Ski World Championships
Shymbulak, Kazakhstan

Monday, March 8
Moguls

Tuesday, March 9
Dual Moguls

Wednesday, March 10
Aerials

Thursday, March 11
Mixed Team Aerials

The Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team took sixth in the 2021 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships team event with Paula Moltzan, Nina O’Brien, AJ Hurt, River Radamus, and Luke Winters making up the American team.

It was a Scandinavian showdown for the gold in sunny Cortina d’Ampezzo, with Norway pulling out the victory over Sweden after Swede Kristoffer Jakobsen almost collided with Norwegian Sebastian Foss Solevaag while they were racing and Norway asked for a re-run. Foss Solevaag turned on the gas in his re-run to take the win, which earned Norway the gold and Sweden the silver. Germany won bronze in the small final, beating out defending team event World Champion Switzerland.

Sweden has won the most amount of medals in the mixed team event than any other nation, missing the podium only twice since 2005.

After Moltzan’s near-miss of the medals in Tuesday’s individual parallel race, the team was fired up to avenge her fourth-place finish. They beat Russia and continued to the quarterfinal where they faced Norway and lost to the eventual winners. However, spirits were high all around in the fun event and the athletes and coaches are excited about the future in the newer discipline, which had its Olympic debut in PyeongChang and will be contested again in Beijing next year. “With the women's squad, they’re really strong. We have a chance in any of them,” said Men’s World Cup Tech Head Coach Forest Carey. “We have some younger guys that have been embracing the parallel and training it. Today wasn’t the day obviously, but we do have a younger crew that’s engaged and psyched about the parallel. Hopefully, we can catch up to the women and put together a strong team by China.”

Moltzan, a two-time NCAA First Team All-American for the University of Vermont, loved that the race’s team mentality reminded her of racing in the NCAA system. “It really brings me back to my college days,” she said. "When you race college, you’re always racing for a team as well as an individual. Pushing out of the start gate, I was more nervous today than I was all day yesterday. It’s a lot more pressure when you’re carrying a team or working with a team because it’s not just you you’re going to let down, you’re letting down the whole team. I had a lot of fun doing it today though.”

The team event wrapped the parallel segment of the World Championships, with all eyes turning towards the traditional tech events. Women’s giant slalom gets started first on Thursday.

RESULTS
World Championships team event

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Thursday, Feb 18
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
4:30 p.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Friday, Feb. 19
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
6:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Saturday, Feb. 20
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:00 p.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Feb. 21
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men' Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
6:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
12:00 p.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBC

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee today announced its annual award recipients for eight supporting coaches of the year for 2020. The recipients span six different sports, including four summer and four winter coaches. Three U.S. Ski & Snowboard staff members received honors.

“Behind athlete success and wellbeing are the dedicated and passionate coaches that guide Team USA athletes in sport and in life," said USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland. "In 2020 we watched so many coaches adapt and create innovative ways to support their athletes. It’s an honor to recognize these individuals and showcase their achievements in this especially challenging year.” 

National Governing Bodies nominated their 2020 coaches as part of the USOPC Coach of the Year Recognition Program, and the winners were then determined by a USOPC selection panel. The USOPC Coach of the Year Recognition Program aims to recognize and award the work of quality coaches and providers that are creating significant impact in their sport and NGB throughout the year.  

Service Provider of the Year – Gillian Bower (Alpine, Cross-Country, Freeski, Freestyle, Snowboard) 
As the sports medicine director and lead physical therapist for one of the largest National Governing Bodies in the country, Gillian Bower is making a remarkable difference for athletes across a wide range of sports. In addition to her day-to-day role, she is pioneering a new return-to-performance framework for implementation across all of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s disciplines. She has been the central figure in U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s COVID-19 planning, spearheading efforts to create structure to allow athletes to train and compete safely. She chairs a weekly meeting with an external COVID-19 medical committee to develop and review a 200+ point camp/competition mitigation plan, return to training guidelines, domestic competition guidance and all U.S. Ski & Snowboard protocols. Bower conducted more than 4,000 COVID-19 PCR tests in the past six months with a positivity rate of less than 0.5%, and she sourced and implemented rapid antigen tests for additional screening purposes in Europe so athletes were able to participate in more than 50 training camps and competitions in over 10 countries safely and effectively. Bower recently co-chaired U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s expanded mental health committee and implemented a Question, Persuade and Refer for all U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes and staff, which addresses suicide prevention training.  

Coach Educator of the Year – Chris Packert (Alpine, Cross-Country, Freeski, Snowboard, Freestyle) 
Chris Packert has brought an elevated level of professionalism to coaching education during his time as Coach Development Manager with U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Working collaboratively with other expert coaches, Packert facilitates the creation of highly accessible, engaging, relevant and impactful educational programs for member coaches of all snowsport disciplines. His Coach Certification Program certifies over 1,000 coaches per year and provides continuing education for an additional 5,000 coaches for seven disciplines. Packert was the project leader on ‘Guide to Ski Fundamentals,’ an interactive product designed to serve as an in-field resource to support coaches in evaluating athletes, building programming and developing drill progressions. He has also contributed to numerous national publications, including co-authoring the series by the United States Center for Coaching Excellence: Professional Development in Sport Coaching: How to Develop and Support Coaches in Creating a Positive Sport Culture. Packert enjoys the collaboration he receives from working with other professionals to best serve the coaches within the ski and snowboard community.  

Doc Counsilman Science Award – Jeff Lackie (U.S. Ski & Snowboard) 
As the conditioning coach for the U.S. Ski Team’s women’s alpine tech (slalom/giant slalom) athletes, Jeff Lackie’s application of science in virtually every facet of training programs and daily life is an example for all teams. Lackie applies scientific principles to many areas that have not typically been informed by data, including the dissection of video to motion analysis and running mathematical probabilities to help inform competition schedule planning. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, he has engaged with outside sports organizations to learn and share best practices while he is actively involved in the USOPC’s National Team Coaches Leadership Education Program, contributing to the long-term success of Team USA. Considering the health and safety of athletes in transit and at competition locations is paramount, Lackie deployed similar methodologies to develop a travel plan, looking at everything from socioeconomic impact to plane cabin transmission to times of travel to keep the team safe. 

Release courtesy of USOPC, full release here. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard today announced a new three-year partnership with Laird Superfood (NYSE American: LSF), creator of assorted superfood products, to be their official and globally exclusive functional coffee and coffee creamer sponsor. The partnership will help nourish the U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes on their road to gold with functional, plant-based ingredients. Laird Superfood products help elevate and support the athletes’ daily ritual with fueling ingredients. Each product is carefully selected to create the best possible experience by giving each routine a serious upgrade. Laird Superfood is defining the next wave of coffee by increasing the benefits of America’s most popular beverage with their new functional blends that are revolutionizing the way people consume their favorite drink. 

"We are proud to support the U.S. Ski & Snowboard community and feel that this partnership aligns with our mission of providing real, plant-based products to support people looking to perform their best, whether on the slopes, in the office, or at home,” said Paul Hodge, CEO of Laird Superfood. “We are excited to help fuel the daily ritual of such dynamic, high performing athletes competing as members of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard teams.”

As the exclusive coffee creamer, hot chocolate, functional mushroom, and ground, whole bean, and functional coffee sponsor, Laird Superfood can fuel an athlete’s day from sunrise to sunset. Start off the day with a cup of Laird Superfood’s functional Boost Coffee blend, which delivers 15% of one’s daily value of Vitamin D (when brewed according to directions), made with functional mushroom extracts and botanicals. Mix in the brand’s signature Superfood Creamers, a blend of sustainably sourced plant-based ingredients that includes Aquamin™, and you have a remarkably delicious and nourishing cup of coffee. Finish off the day with a cup of Laird Superfood’s Hot Chocolate, thoughtfully created to include real ingredients like organic cacao powder, organic cinnamon powder, and coconut milk powder along with extracts of three of nature’s nourishing mushrooms.

“Laird Superfood shares our commitment to fueling our athletes with real, quality nutrition,” said Michael O’Conor, Chief Revenue Officer at U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Their products are designed to enable people to perform at their highest level, which aligns with our mission of supporting ski and snowboard athletes in their pursuit of excellence on the slopes. We are thrilled to partner with Laird Superfoods for the next three years.” 

"We're honored and humbled to support the U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes in their quest to perform at their peak by offering better-for-you ingredients in everyday beverages,” said Laird Hamilton, co-founder of Laird Superfood. “The stress they put themselves under day in and day out, whether training or competing, demands the world's best functional nutrition and we look forward to providing that for them in the coffee and coffee creamers category. The partnership that we are building with these dedicated athletes has inspired our Laird Superfood team.”

Laird Superfood will be providing the U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes with functional, superfood products that support overall wellbeing, starting with the 2020-21 competition season that is currently underway. The brand will also host activations at select events throughout the season including the upcoming Aspen 2021 FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships set to take place at Buttermilk in Aspen, Colo. this March. Fans can cheer on and watch the 2020-21 competition season from home, broadcast and streaming listings will be available throughout the season at USSkiandSnowboard.org.

###

About Laird Superfood
Laird Superfood, Inc. creates award-winning, plant-based superfood products that are both delicious and functional. Known for its highly popular coffee creamers, hydration products, supplements, roasted and instant coffees, teas, hot chocolate, and harvest snacks, the Company's products are designed to enhance your daily ritual and keep consumers fueled naturally throughout the day. The Company was co-founded in 2015 by the world's most prolific big-wave surfer, Laird Hamilton. Laird Superfood's offerings are environmentally conscientious, responsibly tested, and made with real ingredients. Shop all products online at lairdsuperfood.com and join the Laird Superfood community on social media for the latest news and daily doses of inspiration.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2021, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined, and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org

For the first time ever, athletes had the chance to compete for a World Championship medal in the notoriously exciting parallel event. Paula Moltzan led the way for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team on Tuesday in Cortina, finishing just off the podium in fourth—a career-best for the University of Vermont alumni at World Championships.

“It definitely was a really long day, but it was filled with lots of good turns and lots of good times and I’m happy with how I performed,” reflected Moltzan. “Obviously you’re always hoping for a medal, but this is my best result ever at World Champs.”

Moltzan made two significant comebacks in the round of eight and quarter-finals to eventually meet France’s Tessa Worley in the small final, eliminating Austria’s Stephanie Brunner and favorite Wendy Holdener of Switzerland along the way.

In her competition for the bronze, Moltzan capitalized on the red, fast track on skiers left in her first run, creating a half a second deficit between her and Worley. However, a small mistake in her second run combined with the disadvantage of the slower, blue course put what would be her first World Championship medal just out of reach. At the end of the day, Worley would take the bronze, behind Austria’s Katharina Liensberger and Italy’s Marta Bassino—tied for first. 

“Today definitely is a great starting spot for the rest of World Champs I’m just going to hope to build and make good turns for myself and have the whole team build with me,” said Moltzan.

Earlier in the finals, Nina O’Brien had a tough match-up against Holdener, who eliminated the 23-year-old American in the round of eight. Despite not advancing to the quarter-final round, O’Brien still enjoyed the day. Her 10th place finish in Tuesday’s parallel event is, thus far, the best World Championship result for O’Brien in her career.

“I would have loved to keep skiing,” explained O’Brien. “[Parallel is] really fun and I love this event, it’s exciting and you never really know what’s gonna happen when you’re going head to head. So I’m bummed, but I think I skied pretty well, it was a tough match-up against Wendy [Holdener].

In season’s past, much debate has taken place over the fairness of the parallel event, given the impossible feat of setting two perfectly identical courses. To eliminate as many disadvantages as possible, the format has been updated to take on the nature of parallel giant slalom, which requires athletes to complete each turn around the gate rather than busting through them as is standard in parallel slalom. To accommodate for different course sets, each athlete takes a run on both the red and the blue course, battling it out against their opponent to overcome any time deficits created from their first run in their second run.

The sheer amount of head-to-head runs is what makes parallel an absolute battle for all athletes involved, both mentally and physically. By the end of the event, the top two competitors will have completed eight runs in the finals alone before gold is decided. 

River Radamus found a way to overcome these challenges more than once, capitalizing on the speed of the red course to overtake his half-second deficit behind Slovenia’s Zan Kranjec in the round of eight. In the quarter-finals, Radamus lost out in a match-up with Croatia’s Filip Zubcic, who would go on to earn a silver medal after losing the big final to France’s Mathieu Faivre. Switzerland’s Loic Meillard finished with the bronze.

“We can tell that the red course is faster, but you gotta ski both courses, and you’ve gotta take the positives of each course,” commented teammate Radamus, who had the best finish of the day on the men’s side in eighth overall. “The goal is to try and build up the deficit as much as you can on the red course and survive it in the blue course and I just couldn’t do it that time.”

“[The courses] affect everybody’s performance, it’s just the reality though, you can’t set a perfect dual,” Radamus added. “You have to beat the person on the combined two courses; whoever does that wins.”

AJ Hurt, Kaite Hensien, and Luke Winters also pushed out of the start gate for the United States on Tuesday morning in the qualifier but did not qualify for the final race.

Up next on the docket for the tech athletes competing in the 2021 FIS Alpine World Championships is the team event to take place on Wednesday, Feb. 17, where Tuesday’s competitors in parallel will take on the other nations for a chance to win a medal as a collective.

RESULTS
Women’s World Championships parallel
Men’s World Championships parallel

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Wednesday, Feb. 17
6:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Team Event - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
6:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Team Event - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Thursday, Feb 18
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
4:30 p.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Friday, Feb. 19
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
6:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Saturday, Feb. 20
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:00 p.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Feb. 21
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men' Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
6:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
12:00 p.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBC
 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has named eight athletes to the 2021 FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships Team to represent the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team in Bansko, Bulgaria, in six events, from March 3-10.

The 2021 squad is derived from the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team B, C, D teams, and the U.S. Ski & Snowboard National Development Group, as well as top U.S. Ski & Snowboard club program athletes from across the nation. Headlining this year's team are 2019 Junior Worlds' silver medalists and FIS Ski World Cup mainstays, Ben Ritchie and AJ Hurt. Due to COVID, quotas have been halved from a normal year.

Though 2020 World Juniors at Narvik, Norway, were cut short due to the coronavirus outbreak, Keely Cashman led the way with three top-10 results, including bronze in the alpine combined. Hurt finished in sixth just behind Cashman in the super-G at Worlds and has skied consistently strong on the World Cup, scoring points across four disciplines during the 2020-21 season (parallel, slalom, giant slalom, and super-G). Additionally, Nicola Rountree-Williams was the second-fastest U18 last year in the giant slalom, and Bradshaw Underhill had a top-10 super-G result, in ninth. 

"We are sending a strong team to the World Junior Championships this year, with multiple medal contenders and a goal of being on the podium in the overall Hodler Cup team competition," said Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team Alpine Development Director Chip Knight. "Many of our athletes have been racing at the Europa Cup and World Cup levels in recent months, so they are well prepared to compete with their international peers. We are looking forward to a great event."

The 2021 Junior Worlds will not include downhill, alpine combined, and team events but will feature men and women’s super-G, giant slalom, and slalom. Live timing will be provided by FIS.

2021 FIS ALPINE JUNIOR WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM
Name, Hometown; Team Affiliation; Club (Birthdate)

Women

• AJ Hurt, Carnelian Bay, Calif.; Squaw Valley Ski Team (12/5/2000)
• Allie Resnick (Vail, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 9/1/2001)
• Nicola Rountree-Williams, Edwards, Colo.; Independent/Private (7/7/2002) 
• Zoe Zimmermann, Gilford, N.H.; Burke Mountain Academy (5/16/2002)

Men

• Isaiah Nelson, Wayzata, MN.; Buck Hill Ski Racing Club (4/3/2001)
• Cooper Puckett, Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (3/31/2003)
• Ben Ritchie, Waitsfield, Vt.; Green Mountain Valley School (9/5/2000)
• Bradshaw Underhill, Newbury, N.H.; Killington Mountain School (3/10/2000)

BANSKO 2021 COMPETITION SCHEDULE

March 3 – Men’s super-G
March 4  – Men’s giant slalom
March 5  – Men’s slalom
March 8  – Women's super-G
March 9  – Women’s giant slalom
March 10 - Women’s slalom

MORE INFORMATION
Bansko 2021 Official Website

FOLLOW THE LAND ROVER U.S. ALPINE SKI TEAM
Instagram - @usskiteam
Facebook - @usskiandsnowboard
Twitter - @usskiteam

Mikaela Shiffrin struck gold in the 2021 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, winning the super-G-slalom alpine combined event by an impressive margin. It is her second medal of the 2021 World Champs, her sixth career world title, and her ninth career World Championship medal.  

The super-G portion of the combined led the day in sunny Cortina d'Ampezzo with Shiffrin finishing in third place, just .06 seconds behind leader Federica Brignone of Italy. Shiffrin looked confident and fast in the event she had just collected a bronze medal in on Saturday, but slalom was where she knew she could shine.

The second run introduced a slalom course set into a sheet of ice after the race crew had injected and temperatures had dropped overnight, causing racer after racer to crash or ski out throughout the afternoon. While there was a total of 14 DNFs, Shiffrin—who had spent many of her formative years racing on Vermont’s icy surfaces—made the conditions look easy, building her lead by half a second or more at each split. She came down an impressive 2.35 seconds ahead after her slalom run, and only Petra Vlhova of Slovakia was able to get near her, finishing second and .86 seconds behind her. Michelle Gisin of Switzerland took bronze.

“It was pretty fun!” said Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Shiffrin. “It was quite nice to ski today again. Beautiful weather and really nice in the super-G and again amazing in the slalom. It was tough conditions—like a real slalom—but I felt good and like I was pushing the whole time. It was nice when you feel like you’re skiing well and it works. Cool day”

Shiffrin had won slalom, giant slalom, and super-G medals at World Championships in the past, but this was her first alpine combined medal, having sat out the event in the past due to demanding World Champs schedules. Her gold also accrued her a slew of records, including collecting her sixth World Championship gold, passing Ted Ligety, and her ninth total World Championship medal, passing Lindsey Vonn.

“For sure the records are really nice,” said Shiffrin humbly. “It means something, but I don’t really know what to say about it. Today I was focusing on today. First: good super-G run; second: good slalom run. I wasn’t thinking about the record. I know that there’s something about the gold medals and something about total medals, but the first thing I have to do is make good turns on my slalom skis.”

Shiffrin also joins a small elite club of World Championships combined medalists. Tamara McKinney took home gold in 1989—32 years ago—while Julia Mancuso snagged silver in 2007.

In her first World Championships of her career, Bella Wright took home an impressive 14th place. “So much fun!” she exclaimed. “I love it here. I’m sad to be leaving after today, but some great memories here.”

She went on to describe what it’s like to be an athlete with Shiffrin on her team. “It’s amazing to be with her and to learn from her and today to be able to watch her on TV and see her ski some amazing super-G after like five days of super-G this year was so exciting and motivating,” said Wright. “She’s the greatest of all time in slalom, so that was perfect to watch.”

AJ Hurt also raced the slalom portion of the event after finishing 24th in the super-G, but struggled with the tough conditions and skied out. Breezy Johnson did not finish the super-G and is OK.

Speed specialists head home now that the downhill, super-G and alpine combined events have wrapped at the World Champs, but Shiffrin has another two races to go—the giant slalom and slalom—where she’ll look to collect more medals. Next up, the racers compete in the parallel on Tuesday.

RESULTS
Women’s World Championships alpine combined

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Tuesday, Feb. 16
8:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Parallel Slalom Finals - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
8:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Parallel Slalom Finals - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Streaming Peacock
5:00 p.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Parallel Slalom Finals - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Wednesday, Feb. 17
6:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Team Event - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
6:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Team Event - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Thursday, Feb 18
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
4:30 p.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Friday, Feb. 19
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
6:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Saturday, Feb. 20
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:00 p.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Feb. 21
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men' Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
6:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
12:00 p.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBC

Bryce Bennett strung together a strong super-G run and a solid slalom run to score 16th in the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships alpine combined event.

Marco Schwarz of Austria, the current best slalom skier in the world, took the gold—making Austria three-for-three in world titles so far in the 2021 World Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Alexis Pinturault—who was the favorite coming into the day—made a small error in the middle of the slalom and ended up second, just .04 seconds behind Schwarz. Loic Meillard of Switzerland took bronze.

North American neighbor Jack Crawford of Canada was one of the best stories of the day, finishing in fourth place. He ran 32nd in the super-G portion and after the TV cameras had stopped rolling, came down to win the super-G by .08 seconds ahead of Pinturault. However, the speed specialist couldn’t quite keep up with the quick slalom gates and bumped down to fourth place overall.

Bennett, who had an impressive 10th place result in the downhill on Sunday, showed good form again, scoring 13th in the super-G run. But his slalom skills were a bit rusty, as the speed specialist had not trained a day of slalom in the last year. He ended up in 16th overall—an impressive feat given the 11 DNFs in the slalom due to icy conditions, including some of the top competitors of the day. Bennett even threw down a stylish 180 as he crossed through the finish line. 

“If we’re going to be honest, there’s no possible way I’m going to be competitive in slalom,” laughed Bennett. “I have not skied slalom in a year—not a single day of it. I took three runs in the warmup course and then was just trying to have fun this afternoon.”

Jared Goldberg was 29th after the super-G portion of the combined, but did not start the slalom run.

It’s the tech skiers turn to get to work now, as the World Championships leaves behind the speed events for the parallel, team event, giant slalom and slalom. Parallel is up next on Tuesday.

RESULTS
Men’s World Championships alpine combined

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Tuesday, Feb. 16
8:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Parallel Slalom Finals - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
8:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Parallel Slalom Finals - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Streaming Peacock
5:00 p.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Parallel Slalom Finals - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Wednesday, Feb. 17
6:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Team Event - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
6:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Team Event - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Thursday, Feb 18
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
4:30 p.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Friday, Feb. 19
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
6:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Saturday, Feb. 20
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:00 p.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Feb. 21
4:00 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men' Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
6:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
7:30 a.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Men's Slalom - LIVE, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
12:00 p.m. FIS World Alpine Championships Women's Slalom - same-day broadcast, Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA, Broadcast NBC