Wow.  Two races… and two Olympic silver medals in Vancouver.  Julia Mancuso ‘00 followed up a third-fastest downhill run with the slalom performance of her life to win silver in yesterday’s Women’s Super Combined race.  No one expected her to stomp her slalom run like that — not even her coaches.  “She hid it from all of us,” said U.S. women’s coach Jim Tracy of her suddenly resurgent slalom form.

Julia sounded a little shocked herself in post-race interviews.  “I found my slalom!” she said.  “It’s been hiding!   Skiing a good run of downhill and having to follow that up with a good run of slalom, I mean, that’s tough,” she said. “I didn’t think I could do it.”

Surprised or not, Julia is entering some pretty rare territory.  She is now just the fifth United States woman to win multiple alpine racing medals in a single Olympics.  And her two silvers in Vancouver, along with her Giant Slalom gold from Torino in 2006 , combine to make her the most decorated female Olympic alpine athlete in United States history.  That’s officially very big.

Julia’s attitude about it all?  “I think it’s pretty crazy and cool.  Just to be able to ski my best and do my best in the Olympics, that’s really a dream come true.”

Alrighty then — on to the Super G tomorrow, eh?  It goes without saying, but we said it yesterday, we’ll say it again today, and we just may be saying it yet again before all is said and done: all of us at The Winter Sports School are so very proud of you, Julia.  Follow your inner tiara.

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