Tina Maze of Slovenia shows the silver medal she won in the Women's super-G event, during the medal ceremony at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Saturday, February 20, 2010. Photo by AP.
Maze charged down a tight, tricky super-G course Saturday to push Lindsey Vonn down to third, and climb the second step on the podium beside winner Andrea Fischbacher of Austria.
She said her secret of success was racing scared in Wednesday's downhill after watching several racers wipe out in nasty crashes.
"I'm happy that I did do the downhill and feel the fear and show the courage today," Maze said. "It helped me to ski better."
A giant slalom specialist, Maze easily got the downhill start as Slovenia sent just three women to the Olympic Alpine races.
She drew bib No. 24, starting minutes after a long delay for treatment to Swedish veteran Anja Paerson, who flew high off the final jump and landed badly before sliding headlong into the finish.
"It's always hard to race when you see the athletes before crashing, to stay focused and to stay on your plan," said Maze, who placed 18th.
She got a further look at the Franz's Run course in the super-combined on Thursday, when she was eighth-fastest on a toned-down downhill run, then improved to fifth after the slalom.
Maze was ready to race Saturday.
She celebrated her medal run by throwing her head back, shrieking with delight and shaking a few dance steps in her skis.
"It's a great feeling to achieve this," she said. "Racing for Slovenia is sometimes hard because we are a small country but we have so many good athletes."
The nation of two million people first competed at the Olympics in 1992 after gaining a relatively peaceful independence in the break up of the former Yugoslavia.
Slovenians previously won five bronze medals at Winter Games, three in Alpine events at the 1994 Lillehammer Games and the latest for cross-country skier Petra Majdic last Wednesday.
As the mountains at home are better suited to ski jumping, the 26-year-old Maze often trains with the Switzerland women's team.
"I would like to thank them, that's for sure, because without them I wouldn't be here," she said.
Maze got a World Championships silver in giant slalom last season, but an Olympic medal in a speed event surprised some. Not her rivals.
"This is such a tactical super-G so I knew she could be fast," Paerson said.
United States women's head coach Jim Tracy said Maze had an "awesome" run and that she was "a threat now in every single event. We could see that coming."
Maze will approach the giant slalom on Wednesday, and the slalom scheduled two days later, without further fear or pressure.
"It's a great feeling to go on like this," she said.
