The US won two medals in Sochi but it was certainly a disappointing Olympics still as the men weren’t in contention for a medal and the team wasn’t close enough to silver to make the end of the team event interesting. There were disappointing performances in a few events but also some bright moments as well with the first gold in ice dancing and a strong showing by some young women in the ladies’ singles.
Normal Hill – 10km
In the normal hill event the top finisher for the US in Sochi was Bill Demong who was propelled by a 21st fastest cross-country portion to a 24th overall finish. No American was in the top 30 in the ski jumping but the cross-country was a strong part for the US. This was the first time since 1992 that the US didn’t have a top 20 finisher in the event and ended a run of three straight Olympics with top eight finishes, the first three times they’d ever been in the top 30.
Large Hill – 10km
In the newer large hill event the US was slightly better with Taylor Fletcher leading the way in 20th place including a big sixth place finish in the cross-country portion that allowed him to make up almost a minute of time. Bryan Fletcher’s 27th in the ski jumping was the best result for the US in the individual ski jumping portions in Sochi. In the short history of the event the US had always had a top nine finisher in the event until Sochi.
Team – Large Hill – 4x5km Relay
In the team event had some of their best jumps in Sochi including a 108.0 from Bill Demong that was the best of all. Still the US was just eighth in the ski jumping and left themselves almost 90 seconds behind the top three heading into the cross-country portion. The US was fairly strong in the cross-country but had too much ground to make up and finished in sixth. It was the first time since 1998 that the US didn’t finish in the top seven in the event.
The field of 62 at the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup event in Lahti, Finland was narrowed from 62 to 50 today with four Americans vying to make the cut. Only one, Bryan Fletcher, was successful while brother Taylor Fletcher came very close to qualifying in 56th place. Nick Hendrickson and Adam Loomis rounded out the field in 61st and 62nd.
Bryan jumped a strong 106.5m and had a good judges score as well to easily qualify, a margin of around 15 points over the final qualifier. Taylor’s jump was a little too short as he was just meters short of qualifying. The main event begins on Friday with the jumping round followed by a 10km cross-country round.
The US women came oh so close to gold against Canada but it didn’t mean the US didn’t win gold on Thursday. They did win gold for the fourth straight day. The last time that happened? I’m not sure if it ever did but certainly not in 2006 or 2010!
Figure Skating
Events:
Ladies’ free program
All three US ladies had good short programs but the top skaters were all a significant amount better. That meant the US ladies needed strong routines but also some help from other skaters. Polina Edmunds, was first to go and put up a solid but not spectacular 122.21. She was ninth best in the free skate and finished ninth overall with a 183.25. Gracie Gold was next and skated fairly well. Still there were flaws and her 136.90 was only fifth best in the free skate. She finished fourth with a 205.53. Ashley Wagner was unable to capture the magic either. Her routine looked okay but had a lot of technical problems and she scored a 127.99, seventh best, and finished in seventh with a total of 193.20.
Third place came in at 216.73 so even with really really good programs that would have been a hard score for the US ladies to match. The US leaves Sochi with just two medals but a lot of young talents on the ladies’ side especially.
Polina Edmunds – Finished 9th with a score of 183.25. In the free program scored a 122.21, 9th best.
Gracie Gold – Finished 4th with a score of 205.53. In the free program scored a 136.90, 5th best.
Ashley Wagner– Finished 7th with a score of 193.20. In the free program scored a 127.99, 7th best.
So I had the most amazing time competing on Olympic ice… Thank you to everyone who has supported me… http://t.co/DyZbz7WHLk
What’s on tap today? Just four disciplines and competition in five events with five gold medals up for grabs.
In today: nordic combined. Out today: Alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, cross-country, snowboarding, and speed skating.
All times below are ET.
Figure Skating
Events: All three US ladies had strong short programs. Now they are all in the top seven but all quite a bit behind the top three and probably needing help to reach the medal stand. The free skate begins at 10 AM but Polina Edmunds, seventh in the short program, will be the first American at 17th, fifth in group three. That should be about 12:42 PM.
In the final group going 22nd overall and fourth in the group will be Gracie Gold. Gold is in fourth heading into the free skate and will know if there is room for her to jump onto the medal stand. She will skate at about 1:30 PM. She’ll be followed immediately by Ashley Wagner who is in sixth and will skate at about 1:38 PM.
This is the final event for figure skating in Sochi. There will be a gala still to come on Saturday but that is just for entertainment purposes.
When:
*Ladies’ free skate – 10 AM
Polina Edmunds – Approx. 12:42 PM
Gracie Gold – Approx 1:30 PM
Ashley Wagner – Approx 1:38 PM
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 figure skating will be shown LIVE on NBCSN from 10 AM-2 PM ET and included in NBC’s primetime coverage from 8-11:30 PM ET.
Tuesday saw another gold medal for the US as the US had a number of really good performances. Disciplines are wrapping up as we head into the final few days of the Olympics and people make their final appearance in Sochi.
Alpine Skiing
Events:
Women’s Giant Slalom Run 1
*Women’s Giant Slalom Run 2
The first competitor up for the US was Mikaela Shiffrin and she put up a great run of 1:18.79 that was only fourth best at the time. It would have staying power though and ended up fifth best in run one. Julia Mancuso was next and after chasing the pace in the first half of the hill she got off course and missed a gate to take a DNF. Later on Megan McJames finished in 1:22.77, 32nd, and Resi Stiegler finished in 1:22.69, 31st.
The second run began with the first 30 in reverse order so Shiffrin was the first one to go for the US after 25 skiers. Shiffirn put up a good 1:18.58 run, sixth best of the second runs, and stayed in fifth with a 2:37.37, half a second off the lead. After the top 30 had gone McJames finished in 1:21.60, 30th best of the second heats, and her total time of 2:44.37 was 30th best. Stiegler went 29th best in run two with a 1:21.38 and she finished 29th overall with a 2:44.07.
Results Summarized:
Julia Mancuso – DNF on run one.
Megan McJames – Finished 30th with a time of 2:44.37. Was 32nd in run one with a 1:22.77 and 30th in run two with a 1:21.60.
Resi Stiegler – Finished 29th with a time of 2:44.07. Was 31st in run one with a 1:22.69 and 29th in run two with a 1:21.38.
Mikaela Shiffrin – Finished 5th with a time of 2:37.37. Was 5th in run one with a 1:18.79 and 6th in run two with a 1:18.58.
That’s a wrap for me here in Sochi. It’s been inspiring! Thanks for all the support and Love! #GoUSA!!! Now I get to celebrate my Bronze!!!
What’s on tap today? Lots of changes in what you’ll see! Eight disciplines and competition in nine events with six gold medals up for grabs. Of course that is all assuming there are no weather issues today…
In today: Alpine skiing, nordic combined, short track speed skating, and speed skating. Out today: curling (done at the Olympics for the US), figure skating, ice hockey, and ski jumping (done at the Olympics).
All times below are ET.
Alpine Skiing
Events: Four American women are in the field of 90 for the giant slalom at 12:30 AM. Mikaela Shiffrin goes first for the US, sixth overall with Julia Mancuso going 17th. The final two Americans are Megan McJames who goes 33rd and Resi Stiegler who goes 41st. The second run will be held at 4 AM with the two times combined for the final standings.
When:
Women’s Giant Slalom Run 1 – 12:30 AM
*Women’s Giant Slalom Run 2 – 4 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 alpine skiing will be included in NBC’s evening coverage from 8-11:30 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.
20 Olympic competitions without a single medal, that was the story for the US going into Vancouver when it came to nordic combined. That changed in a big way when the US won four medals, three silvers and a gold. The US now can boast a medal in each of the three nordic combined events. It will be very hard to top that in Sochi.
Nordic Combined’s Olympic History
Nordic combined is one of the original Winter Olympic events having debuted in 1924 with a single event. That event was the only one until 1988 when a team event was added. A second individual event was started in 2002 and that is how the program remains to this day. There are no women’s events in nordic combined.
16 nations have medaled in nordic combined with Norway leading the way with 26 of the 93 medals. Norway also has 11 of the 31 gold medals while the US has won just four medals, three silvers and a gold, in nordic combined.
How the Nordic Combined Competitions Work
Nordic combined is a combination event of ski jumping and cross-country skiing. The ski jumping event will come first with the cross-country skiing following it. The scores from the ski jumping event set the field for the cross-country skiing race with the athletes delayed depending on how far behind the leader they are. The first man across the line is the winner.
The two individual events both feature a 10km cross-country race, they differ in which ski jumping hill is used. One event uses the normal hill while the other uses the large hill.
The team event is conducted using the large hill and four athletes per team. Their combined team score is used to set the field for the relay portion with teams delayed based on how far they are behind the leading team. The teams will race along four 5km legs with the first team across the finish line the winner.
Ski jumping is one part of the nordic combined event.
There are four men on the team and three of them are returning from Vancouver. Two have been on the team ever since Nagano and one was even part of the team in Lillehammer twenty years ago.
* – Was on team in Vancouver **** – Was on team in Vancouver, Turin, Salt Lake City, & Nagano
***** – Was on team in Vancouver, Turin, Salt Lake City, Nagano, & Lillehammer
In 2010 the US team featured three of the four current Olympians. In the normal event Bill Demong finished sixth while Todd Lodwick finished fourth for the US. The large hill event saw Demong do even better with a gold medal, the first ever in nordic combined for the US. Lodwick finished 13th while Taylor Fletcher finished 45th. Lodwick and Demong joined with Brett Camerota and Johnny Spillane in the team event to win another silver medal for the US.
In 2006 both Lodwick and Demong were taking part in the events. The program was not exactly the same as it is now with a sprint event that featured one jump and a 7.5km cross-country portion and an individual gunderson event that had two jumps and a 15km cross-country part. In the sprint event Lodwick finished ninth while Demong was 25th. The individual gunderson event was more of the same with Lodwick in eighth and Demong in 15th. They teamed up in the team event with Spillane and Carl van Loan to finish seventh.
In 2002 Lodwick was again threatening for medals with a fifth place finish in the sprint event and a seventh place finish in the individual gunderson event. Demong was again near the top with 14th and 19th place finishes respectively. Again they were in the team event with Spillane and Matt Dayton this time. The team came in fourth place missing a medal by six seconds.
All the way back in Nagano there was only one individual event, the individual gunderson event. Lodwick came in 20th place while Demong finished 34th. They were again part of the team event with Tim Tetreault and Dave Jarrett their teammates this time. The team came in tenth.
Twenty years ago in Lillehammer Lodwick was the top performing American with a 13th place finish in the individual event. Lodwick was also part of the team that finished seventh along with Ryan Heckman and Jarrett.
Schedule
All Times ET, * indicates medals awarded
Wednesday, February 12th
4:30 AM – Individual Gundersen NH/10 km Competition Round
*7:30 AM – Individual Gundersen NH/10 km Cross-Country
Tuesday, February 18th
4:30 AM – Individual Gundersen LH/10 km Competition Round
*7 AM – Individual Gundersen LH/10 km Cross-Country
Thursday, February 20th
3 AM – Team Gundersen LH/4×5 km Competition Round
*6 AM – Team Gundersen LH/4×5 km Cross-Country
US Team’s Recent World Championship History
The nordic combined world championships are part of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. Most recently they were held in Val di Fiemme, Italy in February-March 2013.
In those championships the US had all four of their Olympians in the individual normal hill competition. Bryan Fletcher was the top American finishing in 14th overall. Behind him came Bill Demong in 23rd, Taylor Fletcher in 25th, and Todd Lodwick in 35th.
Three of those Americans took part in the large hill competition. This time Demong was the top Americans with a 15th place finish. Taylor Fletcher was hot on his trail in 17th while Bryan Fletcher was 23rd.
The event featuring the 4x5km relay at the world championships was held using the normal hill. Demong, Lodwick, and both Fletchers teamed up in this event. They were in fifth after the ski jumping but came on strong in the cross-country race to move into third and win a bronze less than five seconds behind the winners.
Cross-country skiing is one part of the nordic combined event at the Olympics.
The US had never medaled before the Vancouver Olympics but can now say that they have medaled in every Olympic nordic combined event. In the individual normal hill event that was when Johnny Spillane grabbed a silver, in the large hill it was Bill Demong grabbing gold and Spillane getting silver. Meanwhile the team of Spillane, Demong, and Todd Lodwick and Brett Camerota won a silver in the team event.
Large Hill – 10km
