WINTER PARK — Julia Mancuso captured a second straight title at the U.S. championships Saturday, winning the super-G on a sun-splashed course to extend her record to 13 national titles.
Mancuso glided through the technical course in 1 minute, 13.34 seconds, edging Leanne Smith by 0.20 seconds. Mancuso also won the giant slalom crown Friday.
“It’s really nice to win races. It’s not something that happens very often for me, especially because I’m racing World Cup all the time,” said Mancuso, who has five World Cup wins, including the final downhill of the season last month. “It’s fun to go to nationals and win.” That’s something she’s done quite often. Mancuso keeps adding to her record total and has a chance to earn another in a slalom race Sunday. She moved ahead of Andrea Mead Lawrence last spring for most national titles by an American, a mark that had stood for 55 years.
This was Mancuso’s first super-G national title in four years. The skier from Squaw Valley, Calif., also won in 2003, beating, among others, Lindsey Vonn, known then as Lindsey Kildow. Vonn skipped these nationals to rest after a long World Cup season.
Stacey Cook finished third on a soft course that featured quite a few tight turns, causing many skiers to fail to finish.
Cook also took third in the giant slalom.
“It’s my week of thirds, I guess,” Cook said, laughing. “I’m happy to be on the podium. Julia is on fire right now, and Leanne has also had some incredible super-G results this year. I’m psyched to be close to them.”
Mancuso is ending her season after nationals. She will head to Squaw Valley for some freeskiing, then swap her skis for a surfboard, catching some waves in Hawaii.
She figures that will be good therapy for her chronically sore right hip, something that’s given her grief since a crash in 2003.
But as long as it’s not her back again, the three-time Olympic medalist will simply compete through it.
“As long as I’m just dealing with my hip, and feel strong, and it’s not going into my back again, that’s good,” Mancuso said. “My back feels awesome now.”
Days like this make it hard for Mancuso to leave the hill. The temperature soared to near 50 degrees during the race, making for some mushy conditions.
That hardly mattered.
“Nice to race in this weather,” Mancuso said. “It’s a beautiful day out here. One of those moments where you’re really thankful for your job.”
