Paula Moltzan kept the U.S. women’s hot streak at the world championships going. Moltzan won bronze in the giant slalom on Thursday, edging Norway's Thea Louise Stjernesund by just 0.01 seconds for the first individual worlds medal of her career.
Finishing fourth when medals are on the line can feel like cruel punishment. Paula Moltzan knows the feeling all too well after just missing out on the podium so many times.
Italy's Federica Brignone and New Zealand's Alice Robinson ran away from the field Thursday with Moltzan sneaking into the No. 3 spot.
Italian Federica Brignone will go into a home Olympics as a reigning world champion, while Minnesotan Paula Moltzan is a first-time individual world medalist, 12-plus years after her debut at ski racing's highest level.