Jackie Wiles and Paula Moltzan Lift U.S. to Team Bronze as Shiffrin’s Tense Slalom Day Finds Its Silver Lining
On a day when nerves shadowed the women’s slalom, the U.S. Alpine team found relief and hardware. Jackie Wiles and Paula Moltzan, two of the squad’s veterans, helped deliver a team bronze in Cortina d’Ampezzo on Tuesday (ET), turning a fraught stretch of racing into a podium moment the program needed.
A medal that steadied a turbulent day
The U.S. women’s camp entered the day with high expectations and plenty of tension. While Mikaela Shiffrin’s slalom run did not mirror the dominance that has defined much of her career, the broader American effort refused to sag. Wiles and Moltzan steadied the lineup in the team competition and came away with bronze — a clutch outcome that reframed the narrative from anxiety to resilience.
The result doubled as a reset. For a group accustomed to chasing gold each start, this was about grit, composure, and translating team chemistry into points when the pressure peaked. The podium finish offered a clear signal that the U.S. depth extends beyond one superstar’s results, and that the veterans at the heart of the roster are shaping big-stage outcomes in real time.
Wiles leans into example-setting
Jackie Wiles has evolved into a touchstone for a young locker room, a role she accepts with a smile and a shrug. Teammates have pointed to her as a leader; she playfully chalks that up to time served. “Just because I’m the older one, I think,” she said. But the influence runs deeper than seniority.
“I feel like I try to just lead by example,” Wiles explained. “I was lucky that there were so many amazing women that came before me that I was able to learn from, and I feel like that really set the tone of the way that our team operates. And it’s just been cool to try to, like, emulate that and bring up the younger generation and help them as much as well.”
On Tuesday, that ethos showed up between the gates. Wiles delivered stable speed and clean decision-making, keeping the U.S. effort pointed toward the box when the margin for error was thin.
Moltzan embraces the leadership lane
Paula Moltzan, whose own path has mixed setbacks with surges, has become a steadying voice with a competitive edge. She relishes the role — and the responsibility — that comes with it. “We have a birth year, ’94, all the way to 2005,” Moltzan noted. “An 11-year age gap, which is so crazy.”
That spread can be a challenge in an individual sport that often rewards solitary focus. But Moltzan sees the advantage. “I think it’s a perfect mix,” she said. “Maybe I’m more serious than the rest of my teammates, but my younger teammates like to keep it light and fun. I think that just really balances our team out super well.”
The bronze underlined that balance — veterans tuning the temperature, younger skiers keeping the vibe loose, and everyone buying into the same outcome.
A team culture that defies the sport’s lone-wolf stereotype
Alpine skiing can be unflinching: for one racer to win, others must lose. The U.S. women have pushed back on that dynamic by building a system where internal competition and collective care coexist. In Cortina, the group’s cohesion felt tangible — quick debriefs, shared intel on snow and set, and a willingness to make small sacrifices for a larger gain.
That environment proved crucial as the slalom narrative wobbled earlier in the day. By the time the team competition hit its pivotal runs, the Americans were skiing with a practical calm, leaning on each other’s strengths and refusing to cede momentum.
Why this bronze matters right now
Medals always matter at the Olympics, but context gives this one extra weight. It arrived when confidence could have frayed, providing a jolt of proof that the plan — and the people — are working. For jackie wiles in particular, the podium is validation of years spent absorbing lessons from predecessors and passing them down. For Moltzan, it confirms that a balanced room can steady the edges when emotions spike.
And for Shiffrin, whose legacy remains firmly intact despite the day’s tension, it means this campaign still has its spark. The U.S. leaves Tuesday with a medal, reinforced belief, and the sense that more is within reach as the Alpine schedule rolls on in Cortina.
What’s next
The Americans will look to funnel Tuesday’s composure into the remaining events, with conditions and course sets likely to keep decision-making at a premium. If the team bronze is any indication, the blend of veteran steel and youthful lightness is calibrated — and ready — for the next test.
