It’s Another Good Day for the U.S. Ski Team

Julia Mancuso gave the U.S. ski team its second medal in two days at the world championships.

She earned the bronze medal Sunday in a super giant slalom won by Sweden’s Anja Paerson. The third-place finish came a day after Bode Miller took the gold in a men’s super-G to open the competition.

The team’s goal of eight medals, split evenly between the men and the women, now looks as if it could be surpassed with nine events remaining.

“I didn’t think the goals were extraordinary,” said Mancuso, who finished among the top three for the first time at the sport’s highest level. “It can definitely be done and there’s even more to come.”

The biggest pre-race hope for the American women was Lindsey Kildow, who made several errors and finished ninth, 1.18 seconds behind Paerson. Another American, Kirsten Clark, was 10th despite a concussion during training Monday.

Paerson was timed in 1 minute, 17.64 seconds for her first major international title in a speed race. Lucia Recchia of Italy earned the silver, 0.45 behind. Mancuso trailed by 0.76.

“Today I was probably the most relaxed I’ve been in a race going out of the gate,” Mancuso said. “I think I timed everything right. I went back to the hotel after warmup and relaxed a little and then got up to the start about 15 minutes before and I was warm. It was perfect.”