USA Sixth in World Championships Team Event
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
