I’m no Olympics historian, but I can’t believe the U.S. ever had a better single day at the Olympics than they did on Wednesday. In all, six medals were scored by the country over three events that included one gold-silver finish and two gold-bronze finishes. Not only were the six medals an impressive haul but what seemed more impressive was the three gold medals won by some of the country’s highest profile athletes. We’re so used to seeing athletes get touted in advance of the Olympics only to fall short of the hype and expectations (Bode Miller, anyone?). How often is it that we see the performance in the Winter Games match the pre-Games buzz? Not very.
Despite the Sports Illustrated cover and the talk of the shin injury, Lindsey Vonn still managed to grab gold in the downhill skiing. Despite all the anticipation and expectation that Shaun White would live up to his billing as the best snowboarder in the world, he delivered without fail. In fact, he improved upon his first run score even though he had already secured the gold medal prior to his final run. Shani Davis took home the gold in the 1000m with Chad Hendricks grabbing the bronze. Julia Mancuso made it a gold-silver finish for the U.S. in the downhill while Scotty Lago won the bronze in the halfpipe.
In a day where we’re constantly disappointed by athletes who offer more style than substance and a time where performance frequently fails to match hype, our athletes lived up to their billing and gave us their best. It’s a pleasure to see our Olympians deliver at the Winter Games and it’s nice to recognize their accomplishments. Congratulations to the Olympians who medaled on Wednesday and hopefully they add onto an already impressive performance.
