Moltzan, who grew in Prior Lake and attended high school in Lakeville, took the bronze medal in giant slalom for her first individual medal at this level, finishing a mere hundredth of a second ahead of Thea Louise Stjernesund of Norway — in a race won by Federica Brignone of Italy.

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.