WINTER PARK — Julia Mancuso added to her national record with her 12th win at U.S. championships Friday, turning in a swift second run on soft snow to beat Sarah Schleper in the giant slalom.
Trailing after the opening run, Mancuso held nothing back on the bumpy course. The skier from Squaw Valley, Calif., finished in a combined time of 2 minutes, 21.61 seconds to capture her third straight U.S. giant slalom title.
Mancuso moved ahead of Andrea Mead Lawrence last spring for most national crowns by an American, a mark that had stood for 55 years.
Schleper, of Vail, had the top time after the first run and led Mancuso by 1.52 seconds. But the four-time Olympian took a more conservative line the second time through, straying away from the plan of aggressively attacking the course.
Schleper finished 0.61 seconds behind Mancuso.
“Pretty frustrating,” said Schleper, who was attempting to win her first national GS title since 1998 in Jackson, Wyo. “I knew Julia could beat me by a second and a half on a soft, straight course. I didn’t want it bad enough, obviously.” Schleper’s biggest error may have been inspiring Mancuso. So good was Schleper on that first run that it motivated Mancuso.
“Sarah really laid it down. Maybe she shouldn’t have gone so fast, then I wouldn’t get so mad and want to ski fast,” Mancuso said, grinning. “The second run was a lot more of a consistent rhythm. I like this kind of course. For me, it was easier to see where I could go fast and just take risks. It was a little rugged, but I’m psyched with the outcome.” Stacey Cook finished third, which came as a surprise even to her. She’s more of a downhill specialist and hasn’t really trained in the giant slalom all that much this season.
Any chance of a return to the GS? “I don’t think so,” Cook said, laughing. “That was too much work.” Lindsey Vonn did not compete, choosing to rest a balky right knee after an exhausting World Cup season. Her bid for a fourth straight overall World Cup title was derailed by Germany’s Maria Riesch, who won by just three points after the season’s final race was called off because of poor course conditions.
Other top U.S. women missed the nationals as well — Chelsea Marshall (back), Alice McKennis (knee), Hailey Duke (shoulder) and Megan McJames (heel).
With her name linked to Mead Lawrence, Mancuso is learning more and more about the skier who won gold medals in the slalom and giant slalom at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo.
Turns out, Mancuso’s grandfather was a big fan and actually named Mancuso’s mom after Mead Lawrence.
