Vermont is taking over the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Shortly after Landgrove native Ben Ogden took home a historic silver medal cross-country skiing men’s sprint classical race on Tuesday, Feb. 10, former University of Vermont skier Paula Moltzan earned bronze in the women’s team combined event with teammate Jackie Wiles.
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The duo posted a combined time of 2:21.91 and finished ahead of the favorites, fellow U.S. skiers Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin. Shriffrin and Johnson finished fourth, just 0.06 seconds behind Moltzan and Wiles.
Austria (Ariane Raedler and Katharina Huber) won gold while Germany (Kira Weidle-Winkelmann and Emma Aicher took silver.
How did Paula Moltzan do at the Olympics?
Moltzan, 31, skied in the slalom portion of the event and finished in 44.87 seconds. Just two days ago, Wiles missed the podium by 0.27 seconds in the downhill. On Tuesday, she finished fourth in the downhill to help her duo claim the medal.
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More: Vermont’s Ben Ogden wins cross-country skiing silver to end USA Olympic medal drought
What are Moltzan’s ties to Vermont?
Moltzan, a Lakeville, Minnesota native, is one of nine UVM current or former students competing at the Olympics in Italy.
Moltzan studied biology during her time with the Catamounts.
According to a story on NCAA.com, Moltzan opted to attend UVM after being cut from the U.S. national ski team.
“I kind of went to [UVM] on a whim, and I’m glad I did,” said Moltzan in the story. “It taught me everything I know now about ski racing, camaraderie and team spirit… I realized that Alpine skiing was more than just an individual sport.”
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While at UVM, Moltzan won the NCAA slalom title and was named an NCAA First Team All-American twice.
Jacqueline Wiles and Paula Moltzan of the United States celebrates their bronze medal in alpine skiing women’s team combined during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre on Feb. 10, 2026.
What is Paula Moltzan’s Olympic history?
Italy marks Moltzan’s second trip to the Olympics. She competed in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.
As an individual in 2022, she placed eighth in slalom and 12th in the giant slalom. She narrowly missed the podium in the team event, placing fourth.
Who is Paula Moltzan married to?
Moltzan is married to Ryan Mooney, who is also Moltzan’s ski technician. They both attended UVM together.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Paula Moltzan wins Olympic medal in Italy in combined team skiing
