Paula Moltzan and Jackie Wiles Secure Olympic Bronze in First-Ever Team Combined

A pair of Team USA skiers raced to bronze in the new Team Combined alpine racing event, which features one athlete in downhill and one in slalom, on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.

For the duo, slalom skier Paula Moltzan and downhill skier Jackie Wiles, the standout performance marked their first Olympic medals. 

“I didn’t sleep well the last couple of nights, but I felt grateful that I had another opportunity with Paula,” said Wiles, per U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “I just tried to move forward quickly. Paula gave me some really nice words of encouragement. It’s really special that both of us had that same kind of feeling coming in, like we wanted it that badly, wanting it for everybody.”

They weren’t just competing against teams from other countries. Fellow Americans Mikaela Shiffrin and Breezy Johnson—both of whom have nabbed Olympic gold in the past and were clear American favorites for the combined—were their challengers, too.

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Johnson, who raced the downhill leg of the combined, posted the fastest time of the day. Shiffrin, the best slalom skier on the planet, came up short, though, posting a far slower time than usual and pushing their team into fourth. 

Afterwards, Shiffrin, true to character, shared a classy and heartfelt message with Moltzan and Wiles.

“The blood, sweat, and tears that went into this medal for both of you, on your individual paths and then coming together today…it cannot be emphasized enough how much you deserve this—and how much the broader team of coaches, staff, and all of the support system has earned this celebration of YOU,” she wrote.

Johnson, fresh off Olympic gold in the individual downhill, also nodded to her teammates, addressing the all-around power of the American women’s squad.  

“These two embody what it is to be a champion,” she wrote. “Unfortunately, that doesn’t always mean you get Olympic hardware. But today it did, and that is pretty dang special. We firmly believe rising tides lift all ships. And everyone better watch out because the water is high on this team, and we are just getting started.”

Tap or click below to watch Shiffrin’s heartfelt message to Moltzan and Wiles. Click the arrow to progress through the slides. Keep reading for more

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For Shiffrin, the defeat continues an odd but persistent pattern.

She’s an unstoppable force on ski racing’s yearly professional circuit, the World Cup, having set the win record there. But in the Olympics, she’s proven inconsistent. Her last Olympic medal came years ago in 2018. At the 2022 Beijing Games, she didn’t stand on the podium once. 

Opportunities for redemption are coming, though. Shiffrin’s expected to compete in the individual slalom and giant slalom.

Johnson, for her part, has already notched the highest Olympic honor at this year’s Games, a Gold Medal in the Women’s Downhill.

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