For those of you who are new to skiing at Squaw Valley, you may not realize that run that brings you front and center to the Squaw Valley Lodge, was renamed Julia’s Gold in honor of local Hometown Hero Julia Mancuso. Julia earned gold in the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy for the Giant Slalom. She’s since taken home three other Olympic medals, the most in history for a female alpine skier.
Born in Reno in 1984, Julia spent a lot of time on the slopes trying to keep up with her big sister. By the time she was a teenager she had found competition against herself was her best measuring stick and she began to excel. She won several medals and five golds in the Junior World Championships between 2002 and 2004.
By 2005 she’d hit her stride taking home bronze medals in the Super-G and Giant Slalom at the World Championships. During the 2007 World Cup season, she won a first place position during the downhill races in France. She followed that with 3 more first place finishes in subsequent races for Downhill, Super-G and Super Combined, plus another six top second and third place finishes. By the end of the year she was second in overall standings.
What was particularly impressive about her accomplishments in 2006 and 2007 is that she was skiing with hip dysplasia during the Olympics, had surgery and recovered by the 2007 season.
In 2010, after two years of back trouble, she shot out of the gate and won two silver medals, one for Downhill, the other for Super Combined at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Mancuso has gone on to win & place in other World Championships, Alpine Skiing World Cups. Most recently she took home a bronze medal from the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.
She had surgery on her hip again at the end of 2015, but will be training for the 2018 Olympics. Julia lives in Olympic Valley, so you’re sure to see her on the slopes this winter. In the off-season, you’ll find her surfing in Hawaii and lending a voice and support to the High Fives Foundation, a local non-profit foundation that provides injury prevention awareness, as well as, support to athletes who have suffered life altering injuries.
You can catch up with Julia Mancuso on her website or facebook.
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