Breakthrough Performance Made as AJ Hurt Races to a Podium Finish in Kranjska Gora Slalom

Charging down the Podkoren slalom course, AJ Hurt laid down the run of her career.

The 23-year-old Californian ski racer clocked the fastest time among 30 racers in her afternoon run to make the massive leap from 16th after the morning run and achieve her first FIS World Cup podium. Hurt finished a career-best third in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, an enormous improvement from her previous world cup slalom best result of 25th in December.

“It feels amazing – it doesn’t really feel real right now,” said Hurt, who is in her seventh season on the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team. “I don’t know what else to say other than it was amazing. I didn’t expect this, but I’m very happy right now.”

Hurt clocked 55.10 seconds in her second run on the demanding slope made even more difficult by deteriorating, wet snow conditions, due to mild temperatures and mixed precipitation. She was a staggering 1.22 seconds faster than race winner Petra Vlhova.

“I felt like maybe everyone else was hoping that the snow would freeze, but I liked (skiing) in this snow,” Hurt said. “I just knew that I could send it and it felt really good.”

The former FIS World Junior Alpine Championships slalom medalist has been rounding into top form as of late posting a career world cup best of ninth in a GS in Mt. Tremblant, Canada, last month. She also won back-to-back Nor Am Cup slaloms on the same racehill a few days later.

Hurt sat in the leader’s chair as 13 racers failed to beat her two-run time of 1:48.49. Finally, Germany’s Lena Duerr bumped her to second, before Vlhova claimed victory.

“I thought maybe I could get a top 10, and then I was in eighth and I thought no way could my best slalom be better than my best GS,” she said. “It’s surreal, very much so.”

Hurt’s brilliance performance came on a rare day in which her U.S. teammate Mikaela Shiffrin had an uncharacteristic DNF, having straddled a gate in her first run. Battling a cold, it was only the second time over Shiffrin’s last 50 world cup slalom starts that she has skied out.

The 93-time FIS World Cup winner heaped praise on her younger U.S. teammate via social media. “OMG!!!, Worst part about the first run straddling and sickness? Not being able to witness in person the most incredible performance by AJ Hurt absolutely SLAYING to her first World Cup podium ever. That was astounding,” Shiffrin wrote.

Hurt’s impressive showing fortifies depth on the U.S. women’s tech team led by Shiffrin and Paula Moltzan, who finished fifth on Sunday at the Slovenian race venue.

“I’m so excited for AJ – I couldn’t be more proud of her,” Moltzan said. “She was told that maybe she wouldn’t be on the slalom team in the spring and look at her now proving the haters wrong.”

Hurt, whose full name is Amelia Josephine, says Shiffrin and Moltzan’s performances and mentoring have helped to bring out her very best. 

“They’re obviously two of the fastest slalom skiers in the world right now,” Hurt said. “It’s pretty amazing to ski alongside them. I train with Paula every day and it seems like I’m always chasing her. I don’t know how I ended up in front of her today.”

Hurt’s maiden podium finish comes in her 61st career world cup start. It was a breakout performance, especially considering that Hurt previously had a combined 16 DNFs or DNQs (Did Not Qualify for second runs) in 18 FIS World Cup slaloms. The race also marked the third time that Hurt has scored world cup slalom points in her career.

She has overcome adversity in her young career, having dealt with multiple bouts of COVID-19, which significantly hampered her preparation and training for the 2022-23 season.

The U.S. Ski Team athlete is a three-time U.S. national champion, having won titles in alpine combined, giant slalom and slalom.

She grew up in North Lake Tahoe, and at just four years old, joined the Team Palisades Tahoe. Her father has been a member of the Squaw Valley Ski Patrol for the past 30 years.

Hurt made her world cup debut in November 2017 at the age of 17. Having represented the United States at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, Hurt has her sights set on the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. She gained valuable experience competing on the future Olympic slopes at the 2021 Cortina FIS Alpine Ski World Championships.

Next up for Hurt, Shiffrin and Moltzan will be a night slalom in Flachau, Austria, on Jan. 16.

“I’m just going to keep going for it and going all out,” Hurt said, beaming with confidence.