Latest news with #LaurenMacuga
Forbes
25-03-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Lauren Macuga Is On A Mission To Get More U.S. Girls Into Speed Skiing
USA's Lauren Macuga skis during the women's downhill training at the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Sun ... More Valley Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho on March 21, 2025. In her first-ever World Cup giant slalom race, 22-year-old Lauren Macuga showed off her rapidly improving technical skills—on one of skiing's biggest stages. The speedster spent the majority of this past offseason training to hone her overall skill set, with the goal of earning her first giant slalom start. Her 15th-place finish on Tuesday at the Sun Valley World Cup finals was high enough to earn her FIS points. It was a soft launch, if you will, of this discipline for the multifaceted skier. 'Now I can't wait for when I really want to tackle the GS World Cup,' Macuga said Tuesday. 'Like when I'm so set in the speed that I can go tackle that; I can't wait for it.' Ultimately, however, the speed disciplines—Super-G particularly—are what fill Macuga's cup. 'One run and go and it's done—that's fantastic, so I still love that,' she said. Saturday's World Cup finals downhill race was called off due to windy conditions, and Macuga took a DNF in Sunday's Super-G—another career first. But it was only because the Park City resident was pushing her limits, no doubt fired up racing alongside her longtime idol, Lindsey Vonn, who returned to ski racing this season five years after retiring. Vonn took second in Super-G on Sunday, emphatically demonstrating that, at 40, she still belongs at the highest levels of ski racing. It's been a breakout season for Macuga, who earned her first World Cup win in mid-Janguary, in Super-G in St. Anton, Austria. She then went on to take bronze in her first world championships. Ultimately, Macuga finished fourth in the standings in downhill and sixth in Super-G this season. Between Vonn, a living legend; 29-year-old Breezy Johnson, who took gold in the downhill at February's alpine skiing world championships; and rising star Macuga, there's a lot to love in the speed department on the U.S. Ski Team. But there's no question the U.S. women are currently technical specialists. In Tuesday's giant slalom, five of the 30 women on the start list were American. 'We need to get girls back in speed,' Macuga said. 'Yeah, it is scary; don't get me wrong, I cried before my first downhill in Sugarloaf, but now here I am overcoming that and having fun doing it. 'There are so many kids here [in Sun Valley]; I hope they see it and say, 'I want to do that, this looks fun.'' Between now and the Park City Olympics in 2034, where Macuga will be 31 and, she hopes, 'in her prime,' she hopes to see more homegrown downhill and Super-G talent develop in the U.S. And marquee events like the World Cup finals being held on U.S. soil are instrumental in creating that kind of growth. Lauren may not be the only Macuga going for Olympic gold when the Games arrive in her town. Siblings Sam and Alli are on the U.S. ski jumping and moguls national teams, respectively. Younger brother Daniel is a fellow alpine skier. What created this family of athletic prodigies? Good genes? A competitive mindset? Ultimately, the Macugas just find sliding around the snow really fun. And most of all, that's what Lauren hopes to impress upon the next generation. 'Growing up, that's all our mom said; 'If you're having fun, you can go do anything,'' Macuga said. 'But I think she really ingrained in us that we should enjoy it, and I think that's what gotten all of us where we are. '
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
German skier Aicher lands first World Cup win at 21
Germany's Emma Aicher secured her first career women's alpine ski World Cup win on Saturday in the downhill at Kvitfjell. The 21-year-old, who celebrated her first ever podium 24 hours earlier, opened her World Cup account with a time of 1min 31.69s. American Lauren Macuga was second, only 0.03s behind, with Austrian Cornelia Huetter third at 0.19s. "I really surprised myself, I didn't think I was as quick as yesterday," said the delighted Swedish-born Aicher who made her World Cup debut in 2021. Huetter, who won Friday's downhill on the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympic slope, moved to within 16 points of Federica Brignone in the World Cup downhill standings. With Sofia Goggia in third, 34 points back, it means the destination of the discipline's crystal globe will be played out over the last two downhills in La Thuile in Italy and Sun Valley in the United States. Brignone finished fourth on Saturday to consolidate her hold on the overall title with the Italian now 231 points clear of Lara Gut-Behrami with nine races of the season to go. In fact that total is effectively reduced to seven as Gut-Behrami has not competed in the slalom since 2017, with two still to come. tba/nr/
Washington Post
13-02-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
From the same Minnesota hill that produced Lindsey Vonn, Paula Moltzan wins bronze at ski worlds
SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM, Austria — Finishing fourth when medals are on the line can feel like cruel punishment. Paula Moltzan knows the feeling all too well. Already at this year's Alpine skiing world championships , she was on the U.S. squad that finished fourth in the mixed team parallel event. Then she couldn't hold on to the lead that partner Lauren Macuga had set up in the downhill portion of the new team combined event and ended up fourth with her slalom run.
Reuters
11-02-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Macuga puts US on top in women's team combined
SAALBACH, Austria, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Lauren Macuga put the United States on top of the leaderboard after the downhill element of the women's team combined event at the Alpine World Ski Championships on Tuesday. With Paula Moltzan set to ski the decisive slalom part for the USA 2 team, super-G bronze medallist Macuga set the pace in one minute 41.60 seconds down Saalbach's Ulli Maier piste. That time was 0.23 quicker than Germany 1's Emma Aicher, paired with Lena Duerr, and Miriam Puchner third fastest for the Austria 1 team with Katharina Liensberger. Newly-crowned downhill world champion Breezy Johnson, who has ski great Mikaela Shiffrin as her slalom partner in USA 1, was fourth fastest and leaving 0.51 to make up. "I knew I nailed it," said Macuga. "I think I'm going to be so nervous but so excited down here (at the finish area). It's going to be so different to anything we ever do, I have no control so I'll just wish her (Moltzan) good luck." The team combined, with each nation able to enter up to four pairs, is being held at a world championships for the first time with the men's event on Wednesday. The event will also feature at next year's Milan-Cortina Olympics. American Lindsey Vonn's hopes of another medal at the age of 40 appeared to have disappeared when she finished 21st of the 26 teams and 2.51 seconds off the pace, leaving USA 3 partner AJ Hurt a massive task. Vonn had hoped to team up with Shiffrin in a pairing that would have united the two most successful female World Cup skiers, but U.S. team officials made the selection on the season's performances.
Associated Press
11-02-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
US skier Lauren Macuga wins downhill portion of new team combined event at world championships
SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM, Austria (AP) — American skier Lauren Macuga posted the fastest time in the downhill portion of the new team combined event at the Alpine skiing world championships on Tuesday. Her teammate Paula Moltzan will start the slalom portion later Tuesday with an advantage of 0.23 seconds over Germany 1, where Emma Aicher ran the downhill and Lena Duerr was scheduled to race the slalom. Austria 1, with downhiller Mirjam Puchner and slalom racer Katharina Liensberger, was 0.38 seconds behind in third. Downhill world champion Breezy Johnson, who teams with Mikaela Shiffrin, trailed by 0.51 seconds in fourth. Lindsey Vonn finished a full two seconds behind Johnson and left her teammate AJ Hurt with a deficit of 2.51 seconds for the slalom. Vonn had campaigned to race with Shiffrin on an American team that would have united the two most successful skiers in World Cup history, but the coaching staff decided to form the teams based on 'season-best results' in both downhill and slalom. The team combined entails one racer competing in a downhill run and another in a slalom run, with their two times added up to determine the final results. Each nation can enter up to four pairings. The team combined will make its debut at next year's Milan-Cortina Olympics and was first held at elite level on Tuesday, after it had been tested at junior world championships.
