Team USA reached the podium in the inaugural Olympic women’s alpine team combined event — but not with the pairing most people expected. Jackie Wiles and Paula Moltzan earned bronze on Tuesday at the Milan Cortina Games, edging out teammates Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin by just 0.06 seconds. Austria’s Ariane Raedler and Katharina Huber won gold in 2:21.66, followed closely by Germany’s Kira Weidle-Winkelmann and Emma Aicher at 2:21.71.
Wiles and Moltzan posted a combined time of 2:21.91, while Johnson and Shiffrin finished fourth in 2:21.97. Moltzan said after clinching the bronze: “It’s a competitive sport. At the end of the day, they’re our friends, but they’re also our competitors.”
The result marked the first Olympic medal for both Wiles and Moltzan, turning recent near-misses into redemption. Wiles had finished fourth in the downhill two days earlier, missing a medal by 0.27 seconds, while Moltzan was motivated by narrowly missing the podium at last year’s world championships. “We both were on the revenge tour,” Wiles said. “I think it’s really special that both of us had that same kind of feeling coming in. We wanted it that bad.”
Wiles delivered a solid downhill run, finishing fourth and 0.45 seconds behind Johnson, the reigning Olympic downhill champion. Moltzan followed with an aggressive slalom, clocking 44.87 seconds to keep the Americans in medal position as the final teams raced. After Austria surged into gold and Germany claimed silver, all eyes turned to Johnson and Shiffrin — the defending world champions and pre-race favorites. Shiffrin, widely regarded as the greatest slalom skier in history, needed a clean run to secure a medal. Instead, she struggled, posting a 45.38 that ranked 15th among 18 finishers. Moltzan said: “We wanted the medal, and Mikaela’s an incredible skier. She’s honestly, most of the time, unbeatable. It was crazy, actually. We asked for a miracle and I think we were delivered one.”
When the bronze was confirmed, Wiles and Moltzan grabbed hands and jumped onto the podium, soaking in the moment. Wiles said: “We’ve known each other for almost 17 years now. And I think that’s kind of the coolest part about it. The fact that we could be a team together and do this with one another and really fulfill those childhood dreams is special.”
Johnson, who won downhill gold Sunday, and Shiffrin, a two-time Olympic champion with 108 World Cup victories, will continue their Olympic schedules in the giant slalom and slalom events later this week.
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