What a day for Team USA at Flachau, Austria, on Tuesday, January 13. U.S. ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin skied into a dominant victory in the famous night slalom. Her teammate Paula Moltzan was not far behind in close second, while Austria’s Katharina Truppe claimed third on home territory.
“That was exciting! This is insane how many people are here. It’s so cool! Thank you for coming. This crowd tonight was… I mean you can see the footprints all the way up the side of the slope. That was special.”
— Mikaela Shiffrin
Shiffrin set the tone early on the demanding Hermann Maier course, delivering a clean and controlled first run under the floodlights to take a commanding lead. With conditions holding steady for the second run, the American showed her trademark composure, attacking where needed while minimizing mistakes to seal the win in convincing fashion.
Behind her, Moltzan produced one of the strongest performances of her season, backing up a solid opening run with an aggressive second to secure second place and underline the depth of the U.S. women’s technical team. The result marks another major podium finish for Moltzan at one of the highlight- venues on the World Cup calendar. “I’ve skied with Mikaela since I was 13,” said Moltzan after the race. “So her winning is nothing new, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to beat her. We talk about it all the time and it’s going to happen at some point, but I’ll keep fighting until I get there.”
The home crowd had reason to celebrate as well, with Katharina Truppe skiing consistently across both runs to step onto the podium for Austria. Her third-place finish was met with loud cheers from the packed finish area, a reminder of Flachau’s reputation as one of alpine skiing’s great night-time spectacles.
The Flachau night slalom once again delivered high drama, world-class skiing and a charged atmosphere, with Shiffrin’s victory standing out as a statement performance on one of the sport’s most iconic stages. It marks her 70th slalom victory and 107th World Cup title. It is also her sixth victory of the season and the sixth time she has crowned herself “Snow Space Salzburg Princess.”
