American alpine skier Julia Mancuso failed to add to her medal count Tuesday in her final event of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Mancuso was unable to finish the first leg of the giant slalom on a course outside Sochi that has been marred by rain and warm temperatures. Poor snow conditions have been problematic for athletes in several ski and snowboard events during these Olympics.
After earning bronze last week in the super-combined — her fourth career Olympic medal — Mancuso finished eighth in both the downhill and the super-G.
‘‘I learned, especially from the super-G, that it’s the Olympics and you have to go for it,’’ she said, via The Associated Press. ‘‘And definitely with the snow surface not being consistent and you can’t really see it, it’s hard with timing. And I was just losing my timing a few times. … That’s the only bummer when the snow’s like this. You really have to be precise. You can’t get out of body position, otherwise it really gets the best of you.’’
Mancuso, who will turn 30 in March, is the U.S.’s most decorated female Olympic alpine skier. She won gold in the giant slalom at the 2006 Olympics in Turin and two silvers at the 2010 Vancouver Games, and she said Tuesday that she would be open to competing in what would be her fifth Olympics four years from now in South Korea.
Mancuso tweeted the following farewell to her fans after the conclusion of her final race.
[tweet https://twitter.com/JuliaMancuso/status/435676489359425536 align=’center’]
Photo via Twitter/@kytv
