- Title: ITALY: Mancuso clinches gold in Super G.
- Date: 23rd February 2006
- Summary: SESTRIERE, ITALY (FEBRUARY 24, 2006) (REUTERS) VIEW OF BUILDING WHERE NEWS CONFERENCES HELD VARIOUS OF U.S. GOLD MEDALLIST JULIA MANCUSO ARRIVING SWEDISH BRONZE MEDALIST ANNA OTTOSSON ARRIVING FINNISH SILVER MEDALLIST TANJA POUTIAINEN ARRIVING MANCUSO EXITING BUILDING AND APPROACHING MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. GOLD MEDALIST JULIA MANCUSO SAYING: "I'm really excited. It hasn't really hit in yet, but I'll be excited when I get my medal later." "I was a little bit nervous, but I just went out there and skied." MAN WATCHING (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. GOLD MEDALIST JULIA MANCUSO SAYING: "It was hard after leading the first round. I was nervous, but I just went out there and after I pushed out of the start gate and after the first two turns, I sort of got over my nerves and got into the rhythm." [REPORTER ASKING HOW IT FEELS TO WIN IN ITALY] "I love Italy." FINNISH SILVER MEDALLIST TANJA POUTIAINEN LEAVING BUILDING (SOUNDBITE) (English) FINNISH SILVER MEDALLIST TANJA POUTIAINEN SAYING: "Great, this is a super feeling. I don't know. My feelings are just flying all around and I have a great feeling." "I had a good feeling. I had a good slalom race as well already here two days ago and that gave me a lot of self-confidence for the GS and I was relaxed this morning and even before the second run I knew that I have to go for it. It's not going to be easy. It's tough conditions and just make your best and have fun and I made it." POUTIAINEN LEAVING OTTOSSON EXITING BUILDING PEOPLE TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS (SOUNDBITE) (English) SWEDISH BRONZE MEDALIST ANNA OTTOSSON SAYING: "I was pretty disappointed after the first run. I thought the chance was gone to get a medal, so I was just going the second run. I had nothing to lose and the visibility was bad. It was snowing a lot. You couldn't see. So I didn't care. I just skied, because if I went out, I didn't lose anything. So I made it today. I am happy." OTTOSSON SPEAKING TO JOURNALIST
- Embargoed: 10th March 2006 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Italy
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA7EZQDTNFA21LZI2PX70XDXWJB
- Story Text: Julia Mancuso won the American women's first Alpine skiing medal of
the Turin Games when she took gold in the giant slalom on Friday (February
24).
Mancuso, who has never won a World Cup race, held on to her first-leg
lead to finish 0.67 seconds ahead of Tanja Poutiainen, who became Finland's
first Olympic medallist in the sport.
"I'm really excited. It hasn't really hit in yet, but I'll be
excited when I get my medal later," Mancuso told Reuters Television.
"It was hard after leading the first round. I was nervous, but I
just went out there and after I pushed out of the start gate and after the
first two turns, I sort of got over my nerves and got into the rhythm,"
she added.
Anna Ottosson took a surprise bronze, outclassing fellow Swede Anja
Paerson, the Olympic slalom champion, who finished a disappointed sixth.
Mancuso had come to the Games expecting to play second fiddle to speed
specialist Lindsey Kildow on the U.S. team. But Kildow crashed in training for
the downhill at the start of the Olympics and her results suffered. With
American men's favourites Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves also failing, though
unheralded Ted Ligety took gold in the combined, the pressure was on the
21-year-old Mancuso to win a big race for the first time in her life.
Mancuso said the weather -- heavy snow and thick fog in parts -- had
helped her, she said, as she was used to skiing in such conditions at home in
California.
The American, who admitted sitting up late on Thursday to watch
compatriot Sasha Cohen win a figure skating silver medal, said the weather had
also helped her mentally.
Janica Kostelic, who won the title in 2002, did not start. The Croatian
has been ill at the Games though she won a record career fourth gold medal in
last weekend's combined event.
World Cup overall champion Paerson had hoped to win another medal to go
with her slalom gold and bronzes in the downhill and combined but a big
mistake in the second run pushed her down from second place to sixth.
Poutiainen was a double silver medallist at last year's world
championships but has not been on the World Cup podium once this season.
"This is a super feeling. I don't know. My feelings are just
flying all around and I have a great feeling," Poutiainen said.
"I had a good feeling. I had a good slalom race as well already
here two days ago and that gave me a lot of self-confidence for the GS and I
was relaxed this morning and even before the second run I knew that I have to
go for it. It's not going to be easy. It's tough conditions and just make your
best and have fun and I made it," she added.
Ottosson, who has had a run of top-10 places this season but has not
won a World Cup race in six years, was also delighted after finishing 1.14
seconds behind Mancuso in two minutes 10.33.
The 29-year-old Swede was 13th after the first leg.
"I was pretty disappointed after the first run. I thought the
chance was gone to get a medal, so I was just going the second run. I had
nothing to lose and the visibility was bad. It was snowing a lot. You couldn't
see. So I didn't care. I just skied, because if I went out, I didn't lose
anything. So I made it today. I am happy," Ottosson told Reuters
Television.
Austria, who had won at least one medal in every other event, had a
disappointing day, with Nicole Hosp their best finisher in fourth place, 1.47
behind, and Michaela Kirchgasser skidding out of the second run.
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