Olympics story by Brian Watters, Sat, 25 Feb 2006 20:12:00 GMT


TURIN, Italy - Julia Mancuso brought cheer to the US ski team in the Winter Olympics in Turin as she won the gold medal in the giant slalom. This is only the second medal for the US team and it brought considerable warmth along with it as favorite Sasha Cohen had crashed to a defeat in the figure skating only about 24 hours earlier.

Her effort was more commendable given the fact that there was a huge snowstorm and thick fog in the atmosphere as she prepared to race downhill.

"Because it was bad weather, it sort of made it seem less like the Olympics. Because you always dream of the Olympics as the most perfect race," the 21-year-old said after the race. "This was sort of just another day on a stormy race course, and that sort of helped take the pressure off me. It wasn't about the Olympics. It was just about skiing." It was a long wait for the US ski team since Debbie Armstrong was the last woman to clinch the gold in this event way back in 1984. That feat was accomplished a month before Mancuso was born, "No one has told me that yet," Mancuso said in wonderment.

"But it's an honor to be able to do that. It's too bad no one had won it since I was born, but hopefully we'll win some more in the future." The US ski team have not exactly covered them in glory in these games given that they arrived here as the "Best in the World.'

Mancuso, though does not want the tag of a savior, "But as far as our team, everyone went out there and tried their best every event. So for me it wasn't so much looking at expectations, and trying to pull the team up, because in my opinion, everyone's done a great job, with or without a medal.," she said. Modest words for a modest champ!

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