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Lara Colturi opens the World Cup with silver in Sölden, just one hundredth behind Paula Moltzan
The skier who represents Albania finished second in the giant slalom that opened the 2026–2027 season. Minister Gonxhja: Colturi starts the season with Albania on the podium.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 24, 2026, 14:10 · Updated 18:39 · 1 min read
In brief
- Colturi finished second in the Sölden giant slalom, the opening race of the 2026–2027 World Cup.
- The win went to American Paula Moltzan, just one hundredth of a second faster.
- Germany's Emma Aicher finished third.
Lara Colturi opened the new Alpine Skiing World Cup season with a silver medal, finishing second in the giant slalom in Sölden, Austria, the opening race of the 2026–2027 season, ATSH (the Albanian Telegraphic Agency) reported.
The skier, who races under the Albanian flag, missed out on victory by the smallest possible margin: American Paula Moltzan finished just one hundredth of a second faster. Third place on the podium went to Germany's Emma Aicher. For Colturi, it is the best possible way to start the season, with a podium place in the very first race.
Colturi, who was born in Italy, races for Albania and is the daughter of Italian Olympic champion Daniela Ceccarelli, who won super-G gold at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, while her father, Alessandro Colturi, is her coach. The Sölden race is held every year on the Rettenbach glacier in Tyrol and traditionally opens the Alpine skiing season.
Gonxhja: Pride for Albanian sport
Tourism, Culture and Sports Minister Blendi Gonxhja congratulated Colturi in a social media post. “Lara Colturi starts the season with Albania on the podium!” he wrote, calling the result another achievement that brings pride to Albanian sport.
Gonxhja also praised the work of the Albanian Ski Federation and wished Colturi success in the season's upcoming races. With this podium, the Albanian skier places herself among the leading names in giant slalom from the very start of the season.
