CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine — Under unexpectedly clear skies, 17-year-old Nina O’Brien of the U.S. Ski Team’s FIS National Training Group earned her first national title in Thursday’s U.S. Alpine Championships giant slalom race at Sugarloaf.
U.S. teammates Paula Moltzan of Lakeville, Minnesota, and Megan McJames of Park City, Utah, clinched the two remaining podium spots, with silver and bronze finishes, respectively.
O’Brien claimed an early lead after a first run time of 1 minute, 12.18 seconds, landing her atop the leader board. Running 30th in the second run, a fifth-best time of 1:10.12 helped solidify her first national title with a combined time of 2:22.30.
As the country’s most prestigious domestic Alpine ski racing event, the U.S. Alpine Championships give up-and-coming athletes, such as O’Brien and Wednesday’s men’s super-G champion, Drew Duffy, a chance to face off against top stars.
On Thursday, O’Brien followed in the tracks of the most decorated female athlete in Alpine racing history, Lindsey Vonn.
Vonn drew a lot of attention from fans at the event, and she acted as a forerunner for the race but did not compete.
This week’s national championship races are being held on the legendary Narrow Gauge trail. This year marks the fifth time that Sugarloaf has hosted the U.S. Alpine Championships; the resort previously hosted the races in 1996, 1997, 2006 and 2008.
The action continues Friday with the men’s giant slalom race, set to begin at 9:30 a.m., as well as the opening ceremonies that were moved from Thursday to Friday.
For a complete schedule of the 2015 Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships, visit www.sugarloaf.com/usalpine.