The US had a strong women’s singles event with their best ever finish and first ever medal. It wasn’t so good on the men’s side as the best finish in the men’s singles category was their worst in 30 years and in men’s doubles was their worst in 26 years. There will be some heavy motivation over the next four years to try and improve and make a better showing at the next Olympics.
Men’s Singles
The US competitors were well off the pace in this year’s Olympics. The only top ten finishes in a single run came from Chris Mazdzer who had two runs (first and fourth) that were tenth best. Mazder’s 13th place finish was the first time in 22 years that the Americans didn’t have a top ten finisher. It was their worst finish since 1984. Certainly a low point they’ll look to rebound from in Peyongchang.
If you were waiting for the US to break out and make a move in the medal count then perhaps Thursday was your day… or perhaps a single event on Thursday was your event. The men’s ski slopestyle cross took the US from nine medals to 12 as the US swept the medals and headlined a good day for the US.
Biathlon
Events:
Men’s individual 20 km
Thursday was the men’s 20 km individual event at 9 AM. The first American to start was Tim Burke. Burke got off to a good start as he was 17th after 8 km and a round of shooting. He took a big hit with two missed targets in round two and fell into the 40s. He recovered his position some before two more missed targets in the final round left him with a 44th place finish. Next up was Lowell Bailey. Bailey combined a strong skiing performance with just one missed target to consistently be in the top 20 at checkpoints and eventually move into the top ten and finish 8th, the best ever finish by a US man. Leif Nordgren was in the top 40 through 12 km but a disastrous third round of shooting where he missed all five targets left him well behind the pack and he finished 83rd. Finally Russell Currier missed two targets on each of the first two rounds of shooting as he plummeted to 85th out of 88. He roared back however and didn’t miss another target as he ended up in 50th place.
Results Summarized:
Leif Nordgren – Finished 83rd in 58:47.6, 9:15.9 behind the leader. Missed six targets.
Russell Currier – Finished 50th in 55:07.5, 5:35.8 behind the leader. Missed four targets.
Tim Burke – Finished 44th in 54:21.2, 4:49.5 behind the leader. Missed four targets.
Lowell Bailey – Finished 8th in 50:57.4, 1:25.7 behind the leader. Missed one target.
What’s on tap today? Ten disciplines and competition in 13 events with six gold medals up for grabs. In today: Biathlon, cross country-skiing, freestyle skiing, short track, and skeleton for the first time. Out today: Alpine skiing, nordic combined, and snowboarding.
All times below are ET.
Biathlon
Events: Thursday is the men’s 20 km individual event at 9 AM. The 89-man field will start in 30-second intervals with missed targets resulting in a crucial one minute penalty added to your time. Three Americans will compete: Tim Burke, starts 29th at 9:14:30, Lowell Bailey starts 58th at 9:29, Leif Nordgren starts 62nd at 9:31, and finally Russell Currier starts 79th at 9:39.
When:
Men’s individual 20 km – 9 AM
Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.
TV Coverage: The biathlon will be included in NBC’s daytime coverage from 3-5 PM ET.
After a couple of gold-less days for the US they finally grabbed their third gold medal late on Wednesday. It was one of two medals for the US on the day, both in the same event.
Alpine Skiing
Events:
*Women’s Downhill
Four Americans were in the first 12 competitors in the downhill on Wednesday but none of them could move into first when they went down the hill. Jacqueline Wiles was second to go but had some crucial mistakes in her run and finished 26th in 1:44.35. Next up was Laurenne Ross. Ross was much cleaner but her time of 1:42.68 just wasn’t good enough to reach the top and she finished 11th in 1:42.68. Stacey Cook was the third to go and her run also lacked the sharpness necessary as she finished 17th in 1:43.05. The final hope was Julia Mancuso. Mancuso had a really good run but wasn’t quick enough in the middle of the course. She ended up eighth with a time of 1:42.56
Results Summarized:
Jacqueline Wiles – Finished 26th in a time of 1:44.35.
Stacey Cook – Finished 17th in a time of 1:43.05.
Laurenne Ross – Finished 11th in a time of 1:42.68.
Julia Mancuso – Finished 8th in a time of 1:42.56.
Ahh! It happens! Not my day today- but pretty cool to see a tie for gold! #believeinUS still proud to represent my country in 8th!
What’s on tap today? Things slow down a bit with just eight disciplines and competition in nine events with six gold medals up for grabs. In today: Alpine skiing, ice hockey, and nordic combined’s first event. Out today: Biathlon, cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing, and ski jumping.
All times below are ET.
Alpine Skiing
Events: Alpine skiing returns with the women’s downhill competition on Wednesday at 2 AM. This is a single run event with the best time winning. There are four Americans in the 42-woman field. The first American down the mountain will be Jacqueline Wiles, second overall. Then we’ll see Laurenne Ross seventh, Stacey Cook goes 10th, and then Julia Mancuso 12th. Then there will be a lot waiting and hoping the times hold up!
I will be pushing out of the start bib #2 tomorrow! Thank you everyone for all the love and support!… http://t.co/hOJ22XDFRL
Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.
TV Coverage: The alpine skiing will be included in NBC’s evening coverage from 8-11:30 PM ET.
The US did take home a couple more medals on Tuesday but it’s hard to call the day a total success when you consider all the chances missed by the US. There were still a lot of great performances and awesome results, but a lot of disappointment for the US as well.
Biathlon
Events:
Women’s 10 km pursuit
After disappointment in the sprint event on Sunday, American Susan Dunklee was hoping to rebound in a major way on Tuesday. That was all looking pretty good as she battled her way back from a 16th place start to fifth heading towards the final round of shooting. That’s where she missed three targets (four in the whole race) and the penalty laps that she had to take after that meant she finished 18th. It was another big disappointment for Dunklee.
Two other Americans were in the field but were not a major part of the race. Sara Studebaker was 44th at the start and fell to 51st after missing five targets. Annelies Cook started 53rd and slipped a spot to 54th after missing five targets as well.
Fantastic feeling on skis and 3 strong shooting stages tonight. Missed the last piece of the puzzle but I sure love being in the mix!
What’s on tap today? Nine disciplines and competition in 11 events with eight gold medals awarded. Figure skating returns for the individual events now that the team event is done.
All times below are ET.
Biathlon
Events: Tuesday is the women’s 10 km pursuit event at 10 AM. The 60-woman field will chase the leader over the course with four rounds of shooting. Each missed shot is a 150 meter penalty loop. The field is staggered by the amount they finished behind the leader in the sprint event on Sunday. Three Americans will compete: Susan Dunklee, who might have medaled if she didn’t miss a target in the sprint event, starts in 14th starting 42 seconds after the leader, Sara Studebaker is 44th and starts 1:53 behind the leader, and finally Annelies Cook starts 2:17 behind the leader in 53rd.
Lifelong role models and lovers of anything ski related… Enjoying a moment with my parents post race yesterday http://t.co/yu0ZmUBAvx
Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.
TV Coverage: The biathlon will be included in NBC’s latenight coverage from 12-1 AM ET Wednesday morning.
Today was the first day of full competition at the Olympics that didn’t feature a US gold. The US took home only a bronze but there was only five events awarding medals so not a ton of opportunities for the US. Curling got underway on both the men’s and women’s side while the US women’s hockey team played their second of three group stage matches.
Alpine Skiing
Events:
Women’s super combined – downhill
Women’s super combined – slalom
Monday was the women’s super combined event. The first half was the downhill portion with 39 athletes and four Americans in the field. The first one down the hill was Laurenne Ross but she did not finish the downhill as her shoe broke and she went down on the course. Next up was Julia Mancuso who started off great and kept it up all the way down the course leading to the best time of the event at 1:42.68. Mancuso would carry a 0.47 second lead to the slalom half. Leanne Smith finished in 1:45.06, 20th best in the downhill portion, while Stacey Cook did not finish the downhill as well.
Julia Mancuso was trying to become only the third American to medal in three straight Winter Olympics.
In the slalom half Smith wasn’t able to complete the course and got a DNF. That left Mancuso as the last American who could try to finish both events. Mancuso went last among the leaders and knew what she needed to take gold. She made a couple of mistakes however on the course and while she quickly recovered it wasn’t enough as she ended up third place by 0.53 seconds with a time of 2:35.15. Mancuso was thrilled with getting a bronze medal.
Humbled to be 1 of 3 American Winter Olympians to ever medal in 3 straight Olympics. With Bonnie Blair and @ApoloOhno !! Dreams come true:)
Laurenne Ross – Did not finish the downhill portion.
Stacey Cook – Did not finish the downhill portion.
Leanne Smith – Finished the downhill in 20th with a time of 1:45.06. Did not finish the slalom portion.
Julia Mancuso – Finished the downhill in 1st with a time of 1:42.68. Finished the slalom 13th fastest with a time of 52.47. Total time of 2:35.15 was third best, won bronze medal.
What’s on tap today? Eight disciplines and competition in ten events, but just five gold medals will be awarded.
All times below are ET.
Alpine Skiing
Events: Monday the women begin their alpine skiing events with the super combined. This event is one half downhill and one half slalom. The downhill portion is at 2 AM with four Americans in the 39-woman field. Laurenne Ross will be the first American to go but goes 14th overall. Julia Mancuso goes 22nd, Leanne Smith goes 27th, and Stacey Cook goes 30th. After completing the downhill portion the athletes will compete in the slalom portion at 6 AM. The best total time wins.
Family made it to Sochi! Tomorrow is my first event. Super Combined. Lets see if I can pull it out of the hat like in Vancouver! #FastDreams
Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.
TV Coverage: The alpine skiing will be included in NBC’s evening Olympic coverage, 8-11:30 PM ET.
Second day of medals awarded and two more medals for the US, another gold and another bronze. Some disappointments as well though for the US today.
Alpine Skiing
Events:
Men’s downhill
In the men’s downhill event Bode Miller was the most likely medal contender while three other Americans were part of the field. Steven Nyman was the first down the slopes, both for the US and for the entire competition. Nyman nearly wiped out a couple of times but made some spectacular saves to keep his footing. He finished with a time of 2:09.15 to lead the way. That lead didn’t last long though and the second man down topped it and after five had gone he was out of medal contention.
Next up for the US was Travis Ganong. Ganong skied an aggressive race and despite some parts not perfect he just edged into first with a time of 2:06.64, 0.07 seconds better than anyone else at that point. Ganong was immediately bumped from the gold medal by the next skier but it took 11 men after him before he was bumped from the medals.
One of those 11 men was Bode Miller. Miller made mistakes in several parts of the course including catching way too much of the flag. It cost him as he was sixth after his run with a time of 2:06.75. The final American was Marco Sullivan who was the 25th man to go. Sullivan just wasn’t nearly fast enough and his time of 2:10.10 placed him 30th in the end. When it was all said and done Nyman was 25th, Miller eighth, and Ganong was in fifth, just 0.31 seconds behind bronze.
5th place in the Olympic Downhill today!!!! Fired up that was fun and oh so close to a medal!!!!!… http://t.co/ZgimekFdWO — Travis Ganong (@TravisGanong) February 9, 2014
Results Summarized:
Marco Sullivan – Finished in 30th with a time of 2:10.10
Steven Nyman – Finished in 27th with a time of 2:09.15
Bode Miller – Finished in 8th with a time of 2:06.75
Travis Ganong – Finished in 5th with a time of 2:06.64
Bode Miller finished 8th for the US in the men’s downhill on Sunday.
The US competitors were well off the pace in this year’s Olympics. The only top ten finishes in a single run came from Chris Mazdzer who had two runs (first and fourth) that were tenth best. Mazder’s 13th place finish was the first time in 22 years that the Americans didn’t have a top ten finisher. It was their worst finish since 1984. Certainly a low point they’ll look to rebound from in Peyongchang.
