Julia Mancuso wins second Silver Medal in Olympics

Julia Mancuso, the American female skier who on Wednesday collected the Silver Medal in the Women's Downhill race at the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, earned another one Thursday in the "Women's Super Combined" according to the LA Times.

And where Julia Mancuso finished just .56 seconds (that's point-five-six) behind teammate Lindsey Vonn yesterday, Mancuso was ahead of Vonn today.

Lindsey Vonn has an unfortunate end to the Women's Super Combined, as she fell during the slalom run. The Gold Medal went to Germany's Maria Riesch (reportedly Vonn's good friend) while Sweden's Anja Paerson won the Bronze Medal.

Now, Mancuso has entered what ESPN's Howard Bryant calls "The Star Club". Mancuso, who won a Gold Medal in the giants slalom at the Toronto 2006 Games, was considered a dark horse known more for her sexy photos than for celebrity status as a pure skier. But all of that is in the past, except the photos and the lingerie line, which should sell at a high rate in the wake of her amazing win.

Julia Mancuso has a heavy Bay Area connection. The Squaw Valley-dweller's grandparents and four aunts all live in Marin County.

Stay tuned.