The bumpier the better for Mancuso

WHISTLER (Reuters) - Some like it smooth, but American Julia Mancuso preferred it rough and tough on Wednesday.

Where her rivals fell or simply lost their nerve, the 25-year-old Alpine skier reveled in the bumpy conditions to secure an Olympic downhill silver medal behind team mate and runaway winner Lindsey Vonn.

"It's technical and bumpy and I definitely saw some of the girls backing off and complaining about the bumps and I was embracing them," Mancuso told reporters. "I kind of enjoyed the bumps because it was more mentally tough -- you had to stand on your downhill ski and just go for it."

Starting 10th, the 2006 Olympic giant slalom champion threw caution to the wind and blitzed the Franz's downhill course nearly a second quicker than any of the women before her.

Only Vonn, starting 16th and in a class of her own despite a shin injury, could keep her off the top of the podium.

In the finish area with tears in her eyes and a tiara on her head -- her underwear line is called "Kiss My Tiara" -- Mancuso smiled and savored her return to the limelight.

"I watched a lot of video and focused on how I could be fast here," she said. "I love this course, it's hard and fast and I just knew I could go out there and put my all into it."

Mancuso may have attracted as much attention this season for her line of sexy lingerie than for anything she has achieved on the piste, but the skier left no doubt that she was still in the business of ski racing as well.

Mancuso's last time on the podium was also in Whistler in a World Cup race two years ago, and her career has been slowed by injury since then.

She said she had been "living on dreams" since then but had never given up.

"It's been a long journey and coming off my back injury I really didn't see the podium anywhere near me," she said.

"I believed I could ski fast though and coming into these races it was really all or nothing ... despite being kind of the underdog, I worked really hard this summer and was focused on the Games."

(Editing by Frank Pingue)