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SESTRIERE, Italy - Julia Mancuso skied to the rescue in the nick of time. The 21-year-old Californian earned a stunning victory in the giant slalom on a snowy, foggy Friday to salvage a disappointing Olympics for the U.S. women's ski team.
Mancuso gave the American women their first Olympic Alpine medal since Picabo Street's gold in the super-G at the 1998 Nagano Games.
"It was perfect timing," U.S. women's coach Patrick Riml said. "She skied beautifully."
With two strong runs in awful weather, Mancuso had a combined time of 2 minutes, 9.19 seconds, .67 seconds faster than silver medalist Tanja Poutiainen of Finland. With a big second run, Anna Ottosson of Sweden took the bronze, 1.14 seconds behind Mancuso in the final women's Alpine event of the Turin Games.
Janica Kostelic of Croatia, the defending Olympic champion, did not race because of illness.
Mancuso's medal was the second for the Americans in Alpine skiing, both gold. Ted Ligety won the men's combined last week.
Anja Paerson, winner of three medals in the Turin Games and the giant slalom favorite, was second to Mancuso after the first run but skied poorly in the second to wind up sixth.
According to U.S. officials, Mancuso had never led after the first run of a World Cup or other major event — until Friday. She took an aggressive line and lived on the edges of her skis down the rock-hard course and held a .18-second lead over Paerson entering the second run.
"I tried to stay relaxed," Mancuso said.
Skiing last among the 30 contenders in the second run, Mancuso coolly negotiated a tight, slightly shortened course she could barely see because of snow so heavy that course workers hurried to repaint the blue boundary lines as each skier passed.
"She's been getting ready to do this since she was three years old on the `Mighty Mites' ski team in Squaw Valley," her mother, Andrea Mancuso, said. "Just watch her. You can see she loves to ski."
Mancuso's time of 1 minute, 8.30 was second-fastest of the last run, just 0.01 seconds behind Ottosson.
"I was a little bit surprised at the finish," Mancuso said. "It was a slow feeling, but I guess everyone felt that way."
Mancuso, from Olympic Valley, Calif., won bronze medals in the giant slalom and super-G at last year's world championships and has three top-three finishes on the World Cup circuit this year. But she has yet to win a World Cup event and is ninth in the World Cup giant slalom standings.
"I was just ready now," Mancuso said. "I don't know why."
After she finished, she thrust her fists into the air in triumph, held a ski and kissed it.
Her father, Ciro Mancuso, said he last saw his daughter on Wednesday and she was upset "with the way things have been going."
"She knew today she had to do it," her father said. "This was going to be her last chance."
In the stands, she was cheered on by a big family contingent that included grandparents from both sides. Sister April, who fixed Julia breakfast, screamed with delight.
The United States had not won a medal in the women's giant slalom since Diann Roffe's silver at the 1992 Albertville Games; the last U.S. giant slalom gold went to Debbie Armstrong in Sarajevo in 1984.
As expected, Kostelic did not race, ending her Olympics with a gold and a silver. She has six medals, four of them gold, the most for a female Alpine skier in Olympic history.
"She's in a good mood, but needs much more strength for the giant slalom," said Croatia ski team spokesman Ozren Mueller. "She's not upset. She's looking forward to the rest of the season and the World Cup."
Paerson could have equaled Kostelic's record six medals with a top-three giant slalom finish. She already had three medals in these games, including gold in Wednesday's slalom, and won two in Salt Lake City four years ago.
Kildow skied in the warmup and took part in the course inspection, then decided she would skip what is her worst event, even when she is healthy.
Kildow was hurt in a crash in a downhill training run Feb. 13 and was bothered by back pain through all four of her events.
Mancuso gave the American women their first Olympic Alpine medal since Picabo Street's gold in the super-G at the 1998 Nagano Games.
"It was perfect timing," U.S. women's coach Patrick Riml said. "She skied beautifully."
With two strong runs in awful weather, Mancuso had a combined time of 2 minutes, 9.19 seconds, .67 seconds faster than silver medalist Tanja Poutiainen of Finland. With a big second run, Anna Ottosson of Sweden took the bronze, 1.14 seconds behind Mancuso in the final women's Alpine event of the Turin Games.
Janica Kostelic of Croatia, the defending Olympic champion, did not race because of illness.
Mancuso's medal was the second for the Americans in Alpine skiing, both gold. Ted Ligety won the men's combined last week.
Anja Paerson, winner of three medals in the Turin Games and the giant slalom favorite, was second to Mancuso after the first run but skied poorly in the second to wind up sixth.
According to U.S. officials, Mancuso had never led after the first run of a World Cup or other major event — until Friday. She took an aggressive line and lived on the edges of her skis down the rock-hard course and held a .18-second lead over Paerson entering the second run.
"I tried to stay relaxed," Mancuso said.
Skiing last among the 30 contenders in the second run, Mancuso coolly negotiated a tight, slightly shortened course she could barely see because of snow so heavy that course workers hurried to repaint the blue boundary lines as each skier passed.
"She's been getting ready to do this since she was three years old on the `Mighty Mites' ski team in Squaw Valley," her mother, Andrea Mancuso, said. "Just watch her. You can see she loves to ski."
Mancuso's time of 1 minute, 8.30 was second-fastest of the last run, just 0.01 seconds behind Ottosson.
"I was a little bit surprised at the finish," Mancuso said. "It was a slow feeling, but I guess everyone felt that way."
Mancuso, from Olympic Valley, Calif., won bronze medals in the giant slalom and super-G at last year's world championships and has three top-three finishes on the World Cup circuit this year. But she has yet to win a World Cup event and is ninth in the World Cup giant slalom standings.
"I was just ready now," Mancuso said. "I don't know why."
After she finished, she thrust her fists into the air in triumph, held a ski and kissed it.
Her father, Ciro Mancuso, said he last saw his daughter on Wednesday and she was upset "with the way things have been going."
"She knew today she had to do it," her father said. "This was going to be her last chance."
In the stands, she was cheered on by a big family contingent that included grandparents from both sides. Sister April, who fixed Julia breakfast, screamed with delight.
The United States had not won a medal in the women's giant slalom since Diann Roffe's silver at the 1992 Albertville Games; the last U.S. giant slalom gold went to Debbie Armstrong in Sarajevo in 1984.
As expected, Kostelic did not race, ending her Olympics with a gold and a silver. She has six medals, four of them gold, the most for a female Alpine skier in Olympic history.
"She's in a good mood, but needs much more strength for the giant slalom," said Croatia ski team spokesman Ozren Mueller. "She's not upset. She's looking forward to the rest of the season and the World Cup."
Paerson could have equaled Kostelic's record six medals with a top-three giant slalom finish. She already had three medals in these games, including gold in Wednesday's slalom, and won two in Salt Lake City four years ago.
Kildow skied in the warmup and took part in the course inspection, then decided she would skip what is her worst event, even when she is healthy.
Kildow was hurt in a crash in a downhill training run Feb. 13 and was bothered by back pain through all four of her events.