Austrian skier Scheib dominates World Cup season opener to beat runner-up Moltzan; Shiffrin 4th

SÖLDEN, Austria (AP) — Right when Austrian skier Julia Scheib started to celebrate her dominating victory in the season-opening women's World Cup giant slalom Saturday, the sun came out for a fitting atmosphere.

It had not only been a shining performance by Scheib in front of a record home crowd of 15,900, though, as Paula Moltzan in second, Mikaela Shiffrin in fourth, and Nina O'Brien in sixth led a strong showing by the U.S. ski team, which had seven racers in total ranked inside the top 20.

Scheib built on her big first-run lead of 1.28 seconds to win the race by 0.58, giving the Austrian women's team its first victory in a World Cup GS since Eva-Maria Brem triumphed in a race in Slovakia in March 2016.

Lara Gut-Behrami finished 1.11 behind in third, and Shiffrin trailed by 1.42.

“A load of thousands of kilos has dropped off my shoulders, I was so relieved to see the green light,” said Scheib, who had not won a World Cup race before but finished third in the season opener last year.

“Now I am just happy, I mean, to win the first race in front of my home crowd is awesome," said Scheib, adding she had not expected to win, even with her first-run advantage in overcast conditions.

“No way, my feeling was not that good, but maybe that is a good sign for the next races.”

Moltzan lost time when she came wide in a right turn early in her second run, but she maintained her second position to lead a team performance that resembled the one from last year, when four Americans finished in the top 11 at the traditional season opener.

Moltzan said she was “really excited” with matching her career-best result.

“I knew I was skiing well coming into the race, but skiing well in training and skiing well in the race are two different aspects of the sport,” said the American, who won GS bronze at the world championships last February and had been runner-up in a World Cup race twice before.

Moltzan and Scheib had already dueled the week before the race, when the Austrian and American teams shared a training session on the race hill.

“She was quite fast. We were kind of neck and neck all week, so for her and I to be 1-2, that feels pretty good," said Moltzan, acknowledging the mistake in her second run might have cost her the victory.

“Maybe without the mistake, it would have been a lot closer, but you can’t go back in time," Moltzan said. “I have no regret, I’m so happy to start this season on the podium.”

Shiffrin started only 20th due to a drop in the GS rankings following her injury layoff last season. The American improved to sixth after the opening run and gained two more spots in the final run of a confidence-boosting performance.

“For me, I was so focused on them, just strong turns, strong skiing,” Shiffrin said. “Sometimes I feel strong and it’s not that fast and sometimes I feel OK and it’s pretty fast, so I’m still kind of learning where my skiing stands. But today I felt like it was all connected."

Shiffrin, who is the 2018 Olympic GS champion and holds the women’s record of 22 World Cup wins in the discipline, suffered from lingering post-traumatic stress disorder following a crash at her home giant slalom in Killington, Vermont, in November.

She sustained a puncture wound and severe damage to her oblique muscles, and said she was not back at 100 percent yet.

“I am getting closer. The final step is adding the race mentality,” Shiffrin said.

O'Brien added to the team's result by improving from 16th after the first run to sixth by leading the second run, ahead of teammates Moltzan and AJ Hurt, as five of the seven fastest times in the final run were posted by American racers.

In the first run, Sofia Goggia fell after she hooked a gate with her right arm and spun around, but the 2018 Olympic downhill champion got up quickly and seemed unhurt.

The Italian team had already lost last year’s race winner and overall champion Federica Brignone and former GS champion Marta Bassino through injuries.

A men's giant slalom on the same hill is scheduled for Sunday. The women next race a slalom in Levi, Finland on Nov. 15.

Eric Willemsen on X: https://x.com/eWilmedia

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup giant slalom, in Soelden, Austria, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin reacts at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup giant slalom, in Soelden, Austria, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin competes in an alpine ski, women's World Cup giant slalom, in Soelden, Austria, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

United States' Paula Moltzan celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup giant slalom, in Soelden, Austria, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Austria's Julia Scheib celebrates winning an alpine ski, women’s World Cup giant slalom, in Soelden, Austria, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP)

Italy's Sofia Goggia competes in an alpine ski, women's World Cup giant slalom, in Soelden, Austria, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin competes in an alpine ski, women's World Cup giant slalom, in Soelden, Austria, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin puts on her helmet at the starting gate of an alpine ski, women's World Cup giant slalom, in Soelden, Austria, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Austria's Julia Scheib competes in an alpine ski, women's World Cup giant slalom, in Soelden, Austria, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Uganda’s presidential election was plagued by widespread delays Thursday in addition to a days-long internet shutdown that has been criticized as an anti-democratic tactic in a country where the president has held office since 1986.

Some polling stations remained closed for up to four hours after the scheduled 7 a.m. start time due to “technical challenges," according to the nation's electoral commission, which asked polling officers to use paper registration records to ensure the difficulties did not “disenfranchise any voter.”

President Yoweri Museveni, 81, faces seven other candidates, including Robert Kyagulanyi, a musician-turned-politician best known as Bobi Wine, who is calling for political change.

The East African country of roughly 45 million people has 21.6 million registered voters. Polls were expected to close at 4 p.m., but voting was extended one hour until 5 p.m. local time. Results are constitutionally required to be announced in 48 hours.

In the morning, impatient crowds gathered outside polling stations expressing concerns over the delays. Umaru Mutyaba, a polling agent for a parliamentary candidate, said it was “frustrating” to be waiting outside a station in the capital Kampala.

“We can’t be standing here waiting to vote as if we have nothing else to do," he said.

Wine, the candidate, alleged electoral fraud, noting that biometric voter identification machines were not working at polling places and claiming that there was “ballot stuffing.”

Wine wrote in a post on X that his party's leaders had been arrested. “Many of our polling agents and supervisors abducted, and others chased off polling stations,” the post said.

Museveni told journalists he was notified that biometric machines weren't working at some stations and that he supported the electoral body's decision to revert to paper registration records. He did not comment on allegations of fraud.

Ssemujju Nganda, a prominent opposition figure and lawmaker seeking reelection in Kira municipality, told The Associated Press he had been waiting in line to vote for three hours.

Nganda said the delays likely would lead to apathy and low turnout in urban areas where the opposition has substantial support. "It’s going to be chaos,” he said.

Nicholas Sengoba, an independent analyst and newspaper columnist, said delays to the start of voting in urban, opposition areas favored the ruling party.

Emmanuel Tusiime, a young man who was among dozens prevented from entering a polling station in Kampala past closing time said the officials had prevented him from participating.

“My vote has not been counted, and, as you can see, I am not alone," he said he was left feeling “very disappointed.”

Uganda has not witnessed a peaceful transfer of presidential power since independence from British colonial rule six decades ago.

Museveni has served the third-longest term of any African leader and is seeking to extend his rule into a fifth decade. The aging president’s authority has become increasingly dependent on the military led by his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

Museveni and Wine are reprising their rivalry from the previous election in 2021, when Wine appealed to mostly young people in urban areas. With voter turnout of 59%, Wine secured 35% of the ballots against Museveni’s 58%, the president’s smallest vote share since his first electoral campaign three decades ago.

The lead-up to Thursday's election produced concerns about transparency, the possibility of hereditary rule, military interference and possible vote tampering.

Uganda's internet was shut down Tuesday by the government communications agency, which cited misinformation, electoral fraud and incitement of violence. The shutdown has affected the public and disrupted critical sectors such as banking.

There has been heavy security leading up to voting, including military units deployed on the streets this week.

Amnesty International said security forces are engaging in a “brutal campaign of repression,” citing a Nov. 28 opposition rally in eastern Uganda where the military blocked exits and opened fire on supporters, killing one person.

Museveni urged voters to come out in large numbers during his final rally Tuesday.

“You go and vote, anybody who tries to interfere with your freedom will be crushed. I am telling you this. We are ready to put an end to this indiscipline,” he said.

The national electoral commission chairperson, Simon Byabakama, urged tolerance among Ugandans as they vote.

“Let us keep the peace that we have,” Byabakama said late Wednesday. “Let us be civil. Let us be courteous. Let’s be tolerant. Even if you know that this person does not support (your) candidate, please give him or her room or opportunity to go and exercise his or her constitutional right."

Authorities also suspended the activities of several civic groups during the campaign season. That Group, a prominent media watchdog, closed its office Wednesday after the interior ministry alleged in a letter that the group was involved in activities “prejudicial to the security and laws of Uganda.”

Veteran opposition figure Kizza Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate, remains in prison after he was charged with treason in February 2025.

Uganda opposition presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, known as Bobi Wine, right, greets election observers, including former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, at his home in Magere village on the outskirts of Kampala, Uganda, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Billboards of Uganda President and National Resistance Movement (NRM) presidential candidate Yoweri Museveni are seen in Kampala, Uganda, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Samson Otieno)

Electoral workers deliver ballot boxes to a polling station during presidential election in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Voters are reflected in a police officer's sunglasses as they wait in line after voting failed to start on time due to system failures during presidential election in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Voters wait to cast their ballots during the presidential election in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)