Swiss skier Rast leads World Cup GS with Americans Moltzan, Shiffrin looming in 2nd and 4th

By Canadian Press on January 3, 2026.

KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia (AP) — Paula Moltzan and Mikaela Shiffrin finished within striking distance of Swiss leader Camille Rast in the opening run of a women’s World Cup giant slalom on Saturday.

The Americans stood second and fourth, respectively, with 0.33 and 0.38 seconds to make up in the final leg. They were separated by Italian prodigy Lara Colturi, who competes for Albania and was one-hundredth ahead of Shiffrin in third.

Shiffrin holds the women’s record of 22 World Cup wins in the discipline. But with six weeks to go until the Feb. 15 giant slalom at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, the 2018 gold medalist has not been on a GS podium for 10 World Cup races since January 2024.

Shiffrin suffered from PTSD last season following a horrifying crash at her home race in Killington in November 2024 and has been working her way back up the GS rankings since her return more than two months later.

On Saturday, Shiffrin briefly celebrated with both arms in the air after she finished.

“Happy and satisfied are different, because I would like to be faster, but I’m taking steps and I feel very good with that,” Shiffrin told Austrian TV when asked whether she was 100% happy with her first run.

“Last year, I remember watching this race from home and I thought, ‘Oh, I can’t do that.’ So, it’s pretty incredible to be here one year later and to be in the mix with the fastest women right now.”

Rast, who is the world champion in slalom, gained her advantage on the upper part of the Podkoren 3 course, posting the fastest times in the first two sections.

The Swiss racer finished second in a GS in Austria last week for her best career result in the discipline. Her two wins both came in slalom, most recently in January 2025.

Moltzan raced with a bruised back following a nasty crash in last week’s GS. Her career best result in the discipline is a second place, from the season-opening race in October.

Nina O’Brien in seventh added to a strong showing by the U.S. ski team.

Discipline leader Julia Scheib, who has won three races this season, was fifth. The Austrian will keep the red bib no matter the outcome of the second run, as her closest challenger, New Zealand’s Alice Robinson, skied out for second straight race, this time on a course set by her coach Nils Coberger.

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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

The Associated Press

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