Skiing

It was the 1968 Winter Games—Grenoble, France.

The distinctive and enduring Olympic theme Bugler's Dream , was introduced that year.

Drug and gender testing made it's first intrusion into The Games.

A worldwide television audience viewed the spectacle for the first time in living color.

Two names, above all others, emerged from those Olympics to be indelibly etched in our hearts and minds:

Ageless US figure skater Peggy Fleming emphatically and beautifully declared to the world that American figure skating was back - after the entire US team was wiped out in a tragic 1961 air crash.

Dashing French alpine skier Jean-Claude Killy stole hearts—and at least one of his three gold medals—before a frenzied home crowd on the slopes of Chamrousse.

While Fleming's story fairly drips with drama and significance, the telling of that tale on these pages will have to wait for another time.

Jean-Claude Killy was reared in the high ski country of Val d'Isere in the French Alps. As with many eventual sports heroes, Killy as a child often gazed through his classroom windows, hearkening to the distant call of his obsession. Truancy became a problem and his father eventually permitted him to drop out of school at 15 to pursue his dream.

A year later, Killy qualified for the French national junior team. He quickly developed a reputation for speed, but his reckless abandon prevented him from finishing many of his races. Still, at 19, he was chosen to compete in the giant slalom at the 1962 World Championships in Chamonix.

Three weeks before the championships, in typical hell-bent-for-leather fashion, Killy lost control near the end of a prelude race and went down hard. He bounced up immediately and crossed the finish line on one ski—still recording the fastest time!

It was soon learned his other leg was broken. Killy was reduced to an infirm spectator for the World Championships.

As part of a long range plan (looking ahead to 1968), the French ski coach entered Killy in the three (now five) men's events at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.

Again Jean-Claude faced bitter disappointment. Battling amoebic dysentery and hepatitis, Killy fell early in the downhill and lost a binding in the slalom. He finished fifth in his best event, the giant slalom.

Finally, at the age of 22, Killy's trademark speed and attacking style began to fuse together into a dynamic winning combination.

At the 1966 World Championships in Portillo, Chile, he won the downhill and combined.

Timing was everything in 1967. In January of that year the inaugural season of the World Cup series was introduced, just as Jean-Claude began to peak in his career.

He won 12 of 17 races, including all five downhills and four of five in the giant slalom. He was overall points leader in all three disciplines and easily won The Cup.

The following season, Killy's devil-may-care assault on the 1968 World Cup was in full-glide as the Grenoble Games opened in February.

In that one year only, Olympic competition counted toward World Cup standings, so Killy viewed the opportunity to perform before his countrymen as an advantageous "next step" in his pursuit of world domination in alpine skiing.

In the downhill, Killy's break-neck attack allowed him to just slip past teammate Guy Perillat by .08 seconds to win gold.

Then, in the giant slalom (which for the first time included two runs rather than one), a wider margin of more than two seconds secured another gold for Killy.

A "clean" sweep of the three events was not in the cards however, as controversy marred Killy's third gold in the slalom:

Jean-Claude was leading after his second run. Norwegian skier, Haakon Mjoen then weaved his way down the slope in a quicker time, but was disqualified for missing a gate.

The great Austrian, and Killy's chief rival, Karl Schranz followed with his second run. About mid-course, Schranz suddenly halted, as in the fog a mysterious figure crossed his path. The Austrian was granted a re-run and produced the fastest time. Schranz was declared the winner.

A Jury of Appeal later disqualified him for missing a gate and Killy was awarded the gold.

Jean-Claude Killy was only the second man to ever sweep the alpine skiing events since the legendary Tony Sailer.

Some say the echoes still reverberate from the slopes of Chamrousse in honor of France's greatest sports hero. He was awarded the French Legion of Honor.

Before the closing ceremonies however, another controversy arose concerning Killy's amateur status. At that time, any hint of commercialism or brand marketing was strictly forbidden.

Killy was not subtle in his post-race photos, allowing company trademarks to be clearly visible on his equipment. Alleged under-the-table payments for such favors were not easily proved.

In protest, IOC president Avery Brundage was conspicuously absent from the alpine skiing awards ceremonies.

Killy rode the momentum of his Olympic sweep to another World Cup championship in 1968. Then, at the top of his game, he retired from skiing.

Considering the marketing controversy at Grenoble, Killy interestingly became a spokesman and endorser for Head Skis, Schwinn Bicycles, Rolex and Chevrolet.

Between 1967 and 1970, he had a short stint as a racing driver, participating in the Paris Dakar Rally.

In 1972, at 29, Killy returned to skiing in the US pro circuit for one year and won the season title in 1973.

In 1995 Killy returned to the arena of his greatest glory and has been a member of the IOC ever since.

Jean-Claude Killy will forever be honored as one of the most memorable characters in Winter Olympics history.

This article also published at Sports Then and Now.

The final discipline of the ski-jump was contested on the 11th day of competition. In total, 12 medals were awarded to seven nations—among them a gold for Canada in the ice dancing event.

The medal table remains unchanged, albeit Germany has narrowed the USA's lead to just four. Russia has also continued its recovery, with a modicum of success by its biathlon and cross-country skiers. The United States continues to lead with a total of 24 medals.

Ski-Jump

In ideal conditions, the final ski jumping event of the 2010 Olympic was glaringly held without the presence of Switzerland's Simon Ammann on the ramp.

The prodigious Ammann was unable to participate in the event as his country had only only one other ski-jumper competing at the games—the discipline requires four.

Austria was among the favourites for gold, having taken bronze in both the normal and long individual disciplines.

The proficiency of Poland's double silver medallist, Adam Malysz, was evident in his jump of 139.5 metres and points total of 143.1, but his teammates were unable to reproduce such execution. By the end of the event, Poland occupied sixth place, with a cumulative total of 996.7.

The first team to surpass the 1000 points threshold was Japan, who were followed by Finland and Norway. Then Germany secured silver with a jump of 140 metres by Michael Urhmann.

The Austrians manufactured tremendous jumps, and their gold was merely contingent on the final attempt by Gregor Schlierenzauer being completed. After a brief delay, the 20-year-old proceeded down the ramp to launch himself into an immense jump of 146.5 metres.

Despite an unceremonious landing, Schlierenzauer's display consolidated Austria's points total, giving the team the honour of achieving the largest point difference between first and second in Olympic history.

The Norwegian team claimed bronze.

Cross-Country

In the ladies' team sprint freestyle, Germany prevailed despite trailing behind Sweden for much of the event. They denied the Scandinavians a second consecutive Olympic gold in the discipline.

Sweden's Charlotte Kalla, gold medallist in the 10-km freestyle, maintained a moderate lead against a persistent Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle, but the country relinquished first during the transition.

Anna Haag recovered the lead for Sweden and briefly extended it despite a determined pursuit by Claudia Nystad. The German's obstinacy ultimately gave her the opportunity to surge past Haag, which she duly did just after 17:24 to ensure an enthralling end to the race. 

The German team's finish time was 18:03.7—0.6 seconds ahead of Sweden.

Haag did not have sufficient energy to produce the necessary speed to revitalise herself, and was content after a gruelling conclusion to earn silver.

The Russian pair of Irina Khazova and Natalia Korosteleva took bronze.

In the men's equivalent, Norway's Petter Northug finally demonstrated why he was one of the notable pre-Olympics favourites.

Northug's absences from the podium thus far have been conspicuous, but he has not wallowed in disappointment. He contributed to an impressive gold for his team in another exhilarating cross country event.

The lead alternated between a number of countries throughout the race, including France. The French team, however, suffered a grievous reverse during the fourth exchange transition when Cyril Miranda had the misfortune to fall.

Northug momentarily surged past Germany and Canada as they neared 16:40,  but then suddenly faltered back to third. 

As the skiers neared 18:00, Northug appeared reenergised and battled past Russia's Alexey Petukhov, narrowing the distance between him and Germany's Axel Teichmann.

As they closed on the finish line, Northug generated a tremendous amount of speed to race past Teichmann and continued to consolidate his lead until crossing the red line with a finish time recorded at 19:01.0—1.3 seconds ahead of Germany.

Russia claimed bronze.

Canada's two skies, Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey, acquitted themselves well and occupied fourth at the end. 

Ice Dancing

At the Pacific Coliseum, Canada's heralded dancing partnership of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir orchestrated a laudable gold medal performance to uncontainable jubilation for the watching spectators.

The free dance followed an intriguing original dance segment, whose folk theme courted controversy when Russia's Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin chose an "Aboriginal-inspired" style for their performance.

The decision was criticised by some Australian groups, although the Russians denied it was potentially offensive, and insisted it was an amalgam of various indigenous cultures.

The United States' Meryl Davies and Charlie Wilson had an impeccably composed performance, earning a score of 107.19 and points total of 215.74 to momentarily attain first, overtaking France's Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder, whose choreography had been typically elegant.

The crowd, even as they savoured the performances of the other countries, waited restlessly for the appearance of Virtue and Moir. When they took the ice, the spectators gave them a rapturous reception as if gold had already been secured.

The Canadians were serene and confident on the ice, and their choreography was perfectly complemented by Mahler's Symphony No. 5—again, to the delectation of the audience.

Their twizzles and lifts were intricate and flawlessly executed, and the Coliseum roared as they formally acknowledged the crowd on the conclusion of their dance.

With two pairs yet to perform, the judges rewarded the Canadians with an outstanding score of 110.42, giving them a points total of 221.57.

Russia's Domnina and Shabalin were the final pair. They improved significantly from their earlier displays to merit a place on the podium, taking a bronze.

Virtue and Moir became the first Canadian couple to claim gold in the discipline, and are only the third non-Russian couple to achieve first place in the past 26 years (the others being the United Kingdom's Torvill and Dean, and France's Anissina and Peizerat).

The 10th day of competition at Vancouver saw 18 medals awarded, distributed to 12 nations—among them a deserved gold for the USA's Bode Miller and Russia's second of the Olympics.

In the overall medal table, Germany has closed the disparity with the USA to six after taking four medals (including two golds). The USA retains first with a total of 24, including seven golds.

Biathlon

In the men's 15-km mass start, Russia's Evgeny Ustyugov excelled at the shooting range with a 100 per cent accuracy that ensured he would finish without a single penalty, complementing his remarkable race.

Ustyugov, who waved in acknowledgment of the crowd as he crossed the line, was 10.5 seconds faster than France's Martin Fourcade with a recorded time of 35:36.7.

Bronze was obtained by Slovenian Pavol Hurajt, who replicated Ustyugov's display at the range.

Ustyugov continues a determined campaign by the Russian contingent to alleviate increasing pressure on the team, which has been criticised back home for its relative lack of success.

In the women's 12.5-km equivalent, Germany's indomitable Magdalena Neuner achieved a second gold having overtaken Russia's world champion, Olga Zaitseva, who had maintained the lead for a considerable period of the event.

Despite two shooting penalties, Neuner finished 5.5 seconds ahead of the Russian, with a time of 35:19.6.

Zaitzeva then battled with Neuner's teammate, Simone Hauswald, for second and managed to generate a brief surge that was sufficient enough to claim the silver.

Neuner has since announced her withdrawal from the women's relay, attributing her decision to exhaustion.

Super Combined

The expectation that had been placed on alpine skier Bode Miller had come agonisingly close to being fulfilled in the downhill and Super-G, and was finally realised in the super combined. 

The super combined continued what has been a fascinating series of events at the demanding Whistler Creekside course.

The USA's Andrew Weibrecht—who won bronze in the Super-G—made a promising start but wasn't able to exploit it, losing his balance within grasp of the finish. 

Defending his gold medal from 2006, the USA's Ted Ligety (the 15th start) navigated the course with exceptional conviction, taking the lead with a time of 2.45.82.

Austrian Benjamin Raich came close to executing a run that could have attained first place, but a single error impacted his overall time. Austria's male skiers still continue to struggle on the Whistler piste. Should they not medal in the forthcoming grand slalom, it will be an unprecedented failure for the country's Olympic skiers.

Ligety was displaced by Croatia's Ivica Kostelic, whose clarity of movement through the course gave him a time of  2.45.25—0.47 ahead of the American.

To the audible delight of the crowd, Bode Miller—who has been redeemed from the perspective of the US media—put in a confident display with a time of 2.44.92. Once more, Miller was within tantalising grasp of an elusive gold.

Downhill gold medalist, Switzerland's Didier Defago, was disqualified after an underwhelming performance, but attention was focused on Aksel Lund Svindal, who had claimed gold in the Super-G.

The imposing Norwegian once more appeared intent on being a nemesis for Miller, and was arguably the last credible threat to American gold. 

He initially recorded a time that was 0.32 seconds faster than Miller, but his run began to appreciably deteriorate and he eventually lost control. After an untypical error, Svindal conceded without completing the course.

Miller had secured his first gold, and the perception that he been "transformed"  since the criticism he received in Turin is surely now complete in the eyes of the American media.

Kostelic, who finished in second, became the first Croatian skier to earn more than one medal. Switzerland's Silvan Zurbriggen took the bronze.

Freestyle

In the inaugural men's ski cross event, the pre-race favourite, Michael Schmid of Switzerland, established an early lead in a frenetic final and continued to extend it.

A large crowd numbering in the thousands watched in enthralled dismay as Canada's medal hopeful, Colorado-born Christopher Delbosco, attempted to challenge for silver, having previously dropped to fourth.

Unfortunately for the Canadian, Delbosco wildly flew off the final jump and, in the ensuing spectacular crash, violently impacted the ground. Headfirst.

Delbosco, whose time with the US ski team was controversial, required medical treatment in situ. Evidence of his commitment and the inherent danger of the sport stained the slushy snow thanks to a bloodied nose.

Austria's Andreas Matt secured silver, while Norway's Audun Groenvold had reason to be grateful to Delbosco.

Speed Skating

At the Richmond  Olympic Oval, the Nethderlands' Ireen Wust had an absorbing race that earned her gold in the ladies' 1,500 metres. The triumph followed disappointment in the 1000-meter and long-distance 3000-meter, which she had won in the 2006 Turin Games.  
Wust's emphatic time of 1:58.89—1.21 seconds faster than compatriot Margot Boer— could not be countered despite admirable performances by numerous skaters, including Christine Nesbitt.

The Canadian had taken gold and threatened Wust's first place, recording a time that was 0.29 seconds faster at one stage, but was unable to maintain that standard. She has already taken one gold at the Olympics.

Nevertheless, Kristina Groves ensured that Canada would still be represented on the podium, claiming a silver ahead of the Czech Republic's Martina Sablikova.

Visibly emotional, Wust was in tears at the conclusion of the event.

Bobsleigh

Germany continued its dominance of the Whistler Sliding Centre with a one-two in the men's two-man bobsleigh discipline, but it was André Langer's unprecedented accomplishment of four Olympic bobsleigh golds that became the focus. 

The renowned and supremely talented pilot, who has also amassed a collection of eight world championship gold medals, surpassed a record that he jointly held with three others: Bernhard Germeshausen, Kevin Kuske, and Meinhard Nehmer.

He and Kevin Kuske ("Germany 1")  had trailed in the first heat, but took first in the second heat, and consolidated in the third and fourth for an overall time of 3:26:65—0.22 seconds faster than their second-placed compatriots.

Spirited runs by "Germany 2" (Thomas Florschuetz and Richard Adjei) and "Russian Federation 1" (Alexsandr Zubkov and Alexey Voevoda) merited silver and bronze, respectively.

For the RF1 pair, both of whom serve in the military, it is the first medal awarded to a Russian in the discipline since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

What would America think of Bode Miller if he failed to win a medal in Vancouver?

With no knowledge of his actual dedication to his sport, the headlines would read something along the lines of, "Bode Miller Still Can't Be Bothered with Skiing."

Instead the headlines read, like ESPN analyst Jim Caple's "Miller Catches the Olympic Fever."

America is obsessed with success, and Bode Miller is the latest proof.

Take a look at Ray Lewis. Almost one year to the day after being involved in an incident that left two men dead, Lewis led the Ravens to their Super Bowl XXXV victory and collected Super Bowl MVP honors. His involvement in the murders has all but been forgotten since.

How much do you think America will forget about Tiger Woods' infidelities when he wins his first tournament after returning to golf?

Bode Miller was amongst the best skiers in the world in 2006 when he openly admitted that he considered skiing a “wasted” act and that he was more concerned with partying.

After failing to medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Miller stated it “was an awesome two weeks,” mainly because he “got to party and socialize at an Olympic level.”

His failure to win a medal, despite being considered a medal favorite in each of his five events, didn't seem to matter in the least to him.

After several unapologetic interviews, Miller's reputation as carefree party boy grew, prompting one member of the media to call him “a tedious bore given to statements that smack of hypocrisy.”

Miller made the 2010 Winter Olympic ski team, despite hinting that retirement was a possibility as recently as last year. As of Sunday, Miller has claimed gold in the Super Combined, silver in the Super-G, and bronze in the Downhill in Vancouver.

Some may argue that Miller's is a story of redemption, but I disagree.

Miller's is a story of the power of success and America's obsession with it. Success has a strange way of eliminating prior fault in America.

Over the course of his three medal-winning races, Bode Miller was less than one total second away from missing the podium altogether.

Less than one second between the old selfish Bode Miller and the new dedicated Bode Miller. Less than one second corrected an image Miller spent years destroying.

Should America be proud of Miller's success at the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games? Of course—the achievement of anyone winning an Olympic medal is monumental.

But should his success in Vancouver forgive all of the mistakes he's made and the bridges he's burned?

I don't think so.

It's been four years since Bode Miller fizzled out in Turino and I'm finally coming around to the notion that maybe he was right all along.

No, it's not just because he is now officially by any reasonable measure, the greatest skier in my nation's history. 

It's because four years have come and gone since Turino and I've thought about a few things since then...

Back then, I thought that Bode Miller was a jerk... And I still think that he's a jerk.

But, my opinion does not and should not count.

Why?

Because a week from right now, I will be done watching the Winter Olypmics. I'll stop paying attention to skiing for another 47 months, just as I won't pay two bits of attention to speed skating or luge or snowboard-cross. In fact, with the exception of hockey, there is no Winter Olympic sport that I deem worthy of my spectatorship until 2014.

Like most Americans, I won't give a crap about the Olympics after my two-week fill is done, because to me this is all a huge spectacle.

To me, the Olympics is not just about honor and patriotism. It's also about the sadistic joy of seeing a pressure cooker in action. It's about seeing good, ordinary people define their entire existence and life's purpose in some act that lasts for about a minute.

People like Lindsay Jacobellis might be extraordinary humans, but how the hell would I know? All that I know about her is the combined four minutes of boarding that I watched this year and in 2006. 

But Lindsay is not a personified version of the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball — stored in some dark closet somewhere for 99.9% of its existence. After Vancouver is done, she will continue to work. And work. And work. 

And the same goes for Bode.

He will practice for hours each day, just like an NBA bench-warmer who makes ten times as much money as him. 

And he will compete in other events like the World Cup, which will probably serve as a better indicator of his skiing skills than does the Olympics. Just like an 82-game NBA season is a better indicator of a team's ability than is a random five minute sample of one random game. Ever heard of aberrations?

Bode Miller's 2006 Olympics was an aberration. He failed partly because he acted like a jackass. But he also failed because, well, maybe that week just wasn't his best ski week. 

So before everyone calls him a cry baby, answer me these two questions:

1) Are you going to pay any attention to his career or watch him represent his country in the years 2011, 2012 or 2013? 

2) If Tim Duncan's entire legacy was defined not by his 10+ years of performance, but instead by a random ten minute sample pulled arbitrarily from his past, would that be a very fair way to judge this man's ability? 

Bode's point in 2006 was pretty simple: the Olympics are a spectacle. They are a reality TV show, complete with tear-jerking backstories and they are dressed up in a bunch of grandeur. 

But, they are still a rotten way to define a great athlete's legacy or determine which competitors get the million-dollar endorsements. 

Back in 2006, I bought the media's argument that Bode was a jerk because of how he performed at Turino. I was wrong. He may or may not still be a jerk, but it's not because he shrugged off Turino. 

He was right about the Olympics. 

We love them the same way we love American Idol or Survivor.

The only difference is that we *know* that those two shows are pure entertainment and only Bode seemed to realize that so too is the spectacle that NBC has brought us these two weeks.

Bode Miller continued to showcase his new-found maturity and competitive edge in Vancouver on Friday as he claimed the silver medal in the men’s super-G race.

Miller, who added to the bronze he scooped in the downhill earlier in the week, gave the United States its seventh multiple medal performance of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. On a personal level, it made him America's most highly-decorated alpine skier of all time.

The gold medal went to Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal, who covered the course in 1:30.34, edging Miller’s 1:30.62 by 0.28 seconds. America's Andrew Weibrecht was just 0.03 behind his team mate.

The two medals by Miller and Weibrecht triple the US total in the event. The only other medal an American had won in the men’s super-G was Tommy Moe’s silver, which he won on his birthday at the Lillehammer 1994 Olympic Winter Games.

Miller’s silver medal now gives him four Olympic alpine skiing medals, the most ever by an American. His medals to date (two silvers in 2002, silver and bronze in 2010) give him the following rankings in Olympic alpine skiing:

• Joint eighth all-time for most medals.

• Joint fourth all-time, trailing Norway’s Kjetil André Aamodt (eight), and Norway’s Lasse Kjus and Italy’s Alberto Tomba, with five each.

• Joint first all-time for most silver medals—three, tied with Norway’s Lasse Kjus.

Miller is the only alpine skier with four or more Olympic medals without a gold medal, and he becomes the ninth Olympic alpine skier to win two or more medals at two separate Olympic Winter Games.

The others are Aamodt, Janica Kostelić, Anja Pärson, Kjus, Tomba, Vreni Schneider, Hermann Maier, and Benjamin Raich.

Miller's four medals also moves him into a tie for sixth on the U.S. list of most medals by an American at the Olympic Winter Games, and he is the only non-speed skater with four or more.

Bonnie Blair and Apolo Ohno each have six medals, while Eric Heiden owns five. Dianne Holum and Chad Hedrick each won four, as did short track specialist Cathy Turner.

For Team USA, the fifth and sixth alpine medals won by Miller and Weibrecht represent the most ever won by an American team at the Winter Olympics.

The Americans won five in total in 1984 (three gold, two silver), and they had only previously won more than two on three other occasions (1960, three silver; 1964, two silver, two bronze; and 1994, two gold, two silver).

Should Team USA finish the Games with the top medal count in the alpine skiing competitions, it will mark just the second time that has happened. The last was in 1984, when both the men's and women's team topped the alpine medal charts.

It represented the first time the men had won more alpine medals than any other nation, and just the third time for the women (after 1952 and 1960).

Miller, slammed by the media for his apparent failures in Torino four years ago, appears to be back very close to his best. Behind him, Team USA has once again one of the most feared ski teams at the Olympics.

The USA surged past Germany in the medals table—taking three golds, one silver, and two bronze—while Russia belatedly won its first gold on the sixth day of competition. In total, 21 medals were awarded to 15 countries.

At Cypress Mountain, the women's alpine skiing downhill finally overcame disruptive weather conditions that had caused its postponement and further intensified the media's attention on the much-vaunted Lindsey Vonn.

The revelation that the two-time World Cup gold medallist had a shin injury could not inhibit expectation, and gold in the event still appeared predetermined—with only herself to blame should it be lost.    

As she waited for her opportunity, Vonn appeared undaunted and relaxed—the only apparent alarm being related to concern about the welfare of those who had the misfortune to crash.

There had been a number of crashes during the course of the competition. The most harrowing were endured by Switzerland's Dominique Gisin, Itay's Daniela Merighetti and Sweden's Anja Pärson, which caused interruptions in the procession of the skiers.

Gisin suffered a spectacular fall after losing her balance, sliding relentlessly down the slope before hitting pronounced terrain that dramatically lifted her off the ground

Her momentary stillness caused anxiety amongst the spectators until she allayed those fears by raising herself upright. Although visibly upset, Gisin was able to leave the course unassisted.

When Vonn's turn came, the Minnesota-born 25-year-old provided the spectators with a scintillating and assured run that displaced compatriot Julia Mancuso with a recorded time of 1.44.19.

Canada's Erica Brydon struggled through her run, much to her visible and audible chagrin, and failed to enter the top 10.

One of Vonn's few rivals, Sweden's illustrious Anja Pärson, had her flawed run culminate in a dramatic crash that saw her propelled into the air like a ski jumper before gravity brought her hurtling back to the ground. The Swede was able to limp off, albeit in considerable pain.

When another of Vonn's challengers, Germany's Maria Riesch, could only manage 1.46.26, Vonn's gold was effectively hers with 23 skiers yet to compete.

With the final run by Bulgaria's Maria Kirkova, Vonn became an Olympic gold medalist, ahead of Mancuso and Austria's Elizabeth Goegl.   

Vonn later told the media, "It's one of the most incredible moments of my life. When I crossed the finish line and saw my name in first and Julia's second, it was just the coolest thing...I made it down. It's awesome, it's all I ever wanted."

More ignominiously during the event, France's Marion Rolland veered to the right and collapsed into the snow just five seconds into her run.

Whether Rolland's embarrassment will be mitigated or exacerbated by the knee injury she also incurred is yet to be determined.

At Whistler, Marit Bjørgen of Norway raced to gold in the ladies' cross country individual sprint, with a time of 3.39.2. The gold was her second medal at the 2010 games and the fourth she has earned in her three Olympic games.

Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk finished 1.1. seconds behind Bjørgen, while Slovenia's Petra Majdič demonstrated exceptional fortitude to take bronze.

The veteran had sustained a severe injury the day before in training. Reports have conflicted as to the extent of her injuries, with some in Slovenia stating that she had broken four ribs and developed a pneumothorax.

Irrespective of her actual condition, the pain she was contending with was acutely visible during and after the race.

Majdič, who had been among the favourites, later effused that it had felt as if she had won a "gold medal with little diamonds on it."

In the men's version, Russia enjoyed a one-two on the podium to begin redressing the difficulties its contingent has encountered so far at the games.

The margin between first placed Nikita Kriukov and Alexander Panzhinskiy was minute—the official time difference being 0.0 seconds—and required a photo finish to separate them.

Bronze went to Norway's Petter Northug, whose coach attributed a perceived disappointment to skis of inadequate quality.

At the Richmond Olympic Oval, American speed skater Shani Davis adhered to his pre-race status of favourite to take gold in the 1,000-m, ahead of South Korea's Mo Tae Bum—who surprisingly placed first in the 500 m—and compatriot, Chad Hedrick.

The world record-holder became the first speed skater to defend his gold in the discipline and the third American to earn more than one gold. His overall time was 1.08.94.

For Hedrick, post-Turin struggles ensured that Bronze had no reason to dishearten him, and it meant he became the second American to medal in four disciplines. 

It was a family affair at the Whistler Sliding Centre in the men's doubles' luge. Austrian brothers Wolfgang and Andreas Linger successfully defended their 2006 gold to prevent Germany from taking pole position in the sport's three Olympic disciplines.

The brothers' overall time of 1.22.705 was 0.264 ahead of Latvia's counterparts, Andris and Junis Sics. Bronze was secured by Germany's Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch.

The Pacific Coliseum was the venue for the climatic ladies 500 m short-track speed skating final. China's Wang Meng, who had established a new Olympic record in her semifinal with a time of 42.985, successfully defended her gold.

The victory ensured that China would maintain its domination of the discipline with three consecutive golds.  

Canada's Marianne St-Gelais celebrated her 20th birthday with a silver medal, repeating the distinction of such an auspicious coincidence enjoyed by Mo Tae-Bum in the men's 1,000-m event. Bronze was claimed by Italy's Arianna Fontana, who received a bronze in the 3,000-m at the Turin games.

British skater Sarah Lindsay, meanwhile, was vociferous in her criticism of Canada's Jessica Gregg after she was disqualified following a collision and insisted her race should have had a second restart.

In the men's halfpipe at Cypress Mountain, the USA's Shaun White continued his snowboarding pre-eminence with a record points total of 48.4—3.4 ahead of Finland's Peetu Piiroinen.

The flying mane of vivid red hair, who has become one of the sport's most marketable representatives, had an absorbing day, executing a double "McTwist" 1260 to attain the pinnacle of his sensational perfomances.

White later commented, "I just felt like I didn't come all the way to Vancouver not to pull out the big guns. I put down the tricks I've worked so hard on."

Scott Lago completed the day's medal haul for the USA with a bronze.

After a night in which no Americans took to the podium, alpine skier Lindsey Vonn took home the gold medal for the USA at Whistler Creekside in the ladies' downhill event.

Julia Mancuso earned silver for the States, while Austria's Elisabeth Goergl earned the bronze.

Vonn, who hails from St. Paul, Minn., flew through the course with a top speed of nearly 107 km/hr and an average speed of 103 km/hr. She finished with a time of 1:44.19; Mancuso finished in 1:44.75.

For Vonn, it was the perfect ending to a successful comeback from a shin injury.

"This is the best day of my life," said Vonn, who was in tears. "This is everything I've wanted and hoped for. I worked so hard for this. To be able to stand at the finish with a gold medal is amazing. 

"It's awesome. It means everything to me." 

The finish marks the third time two Americans have finished 1-2 in an Olympic Alpine race, and the first time in 26 years.

The Franz Run course was not without its casualties, most notably Sweden's Anja Paerson. Paerson was within striking distance of earning a silver after the first interval when she crashed heading into the final jump. Crashes by Slovenia's Marusa Ferk and Romania's Edith Miklos halted the event for several minutes as well.

Adding to the crashes were unfavorable weather and snow conditions earlier in the week that forced delays and training run cancellations.

Americans Stacey Cook and Alice Mackennis finished 11th and 37th, respectively. Cook completed the course in 1:46:98, while Mackennis finished her run in 2:00.68.

The wait is finally over.

Lindsey Vonn, widely considered America's best female skier in history, will at long last take to the Whistler slopes this afternoon in the women's downhill on day six of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

That is, of course, if there is not too much rain, snow, or sun, and the ski lift is working properly.

Between the faulty hydraulics that plagued the raising of the Olympic cauldron during the Opening Ceremony, the ineffective eco-friendly ice resurfacing machines that have delayed speed skating competitions, and fickle weather that has led to numerous cancellations of alpine skiing events both for too much snow and too little, it seems that almost anything could happen today to conspire to keep America's poster girl for the 2010 games off the slopes yet again.

However, assuming all follows schedule—and every indication is that the weather will be just fine for skiing this afternoon—Vonn will look to claim her first medal in her third trip to the Olympics.

Vonn's best Olympic finish came in 2002 in Salt Lake City when she placed sixth in the super combined. Four years later in Torino, a scary crash during a downhill training run left her hospitalized the day before she managed a gutsy eighth place finish in the event.

The buzz around Vonn in Vancouver, however, is an entirely new element from what she experienced in her past two Olympic trips. For the first time, she enters the games with lofty expectations as a gold medal favorite after finishing atop the overall, downhill, and super-G World Cup standings in the last two years.

She is also the reigning world champion in the super-G and downhill and has been the featured American athlete in most newspapers, magazines, and television broadcasts leading up to Vancouver.

Some have surmised that just one gold medal could launch her to the status of Michael Phelps—who is estimated to have made around $50 million off of his swimming success in the 2008 Beijing Olympics—in the endorsement world.

The media attention around Vonn has only grown in the past week since it was revealed that a right shin injury might hinder her medal chances or keep her out of the Olympics altogether. Vonn's training runs and health updates have seemingly received as much media attention as America's two gold medals to date from snowboard cross champion Seth Wescott and mogul skier Hannah Kearney.

Weather delays have only added to the intrigue as Vonn has still yet to make an appearance in competition at these games. While the delays have allowed Vonn to rest her bruised right shin, they have also switched the order of events so that the downhill will be her first attempt at gold.

Vonn is entered in all five alpine events in Vancouver and should contend for medals each time she takes to the slopes, but the downhill is considered to be her best event. The re-ordered alpine schedule means that Vonn will not have a chance to work her way into these games and test out her shin and form in events that are of less importance to her.

Today, with the weather and all else cooperating, Lindsey Vonn will finally have her chance to compete for gold and live up to the lofty expectations that have been created for her.

To say that Vonn should win gold today is unfair to her.

Questions remain about the health of her shin and what impact the weather delays and limited practice time on the course will have on all of the competitors in today's race. Add in the fact that she will face a number of tough competitors, including Germany's Maria Reisch and Sweden's Anja Parson, and that her success will be determined by just one two-minute trip down the mountain, and Vonn's quest for gold seems outright daunting.

The podium in the men's downhill on Monday was decided by less than one tenth of a second. In a competition so close, determined by fractions of a second, Vonn could finish anywhere from first to off the podium even if she manages to put together a near perfect trip down the mountain this afternoon.

But she should finally have the chance to let her skis do the talking.

The fourth day of competition at Vancouver finally ushered in a moderate improvement in the weather that has disrupted some outdoor events. Eighteen medals were awarded, distributed among 13 nations.

At the Whistler Olympic Park, the ladies' 10-kilometer cross country freestyle got underway in difficult, slushy conditions.

Among the contenders was Estonian Kristina Šmigun-Vähi, who's returned after a two-year hiatus from the sport and was seeking to redress her nominal decline since her two golds at Turin in 2006.

Although Vähi might not have been judged to be a favourite, the Estonian established some distance between herself and Sweden's Charlotte Kalla during the race.

No competitor has yet to defend her gold, however, and Kalla ultimately seized first with a time of 24 minutes and 54.4 seconds—6.6 seconds ahead of the Estonian. She became the first Swede to receive a gold medal in the discipline since Toini Gustafsson in the 1968 games.

"It felt good the whole race; I just tried to focus on my plan and be patient," Kalla said. "It feels great."

Norwegian Marit Bjørgen, whose performances in her previous two Olympics contrasted starkly with her flourish in the 2003 and 2005 World Championship, finished third. 

The cross country world champion, Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk, surprisingly struggled and could only manage fifth.

After weather-induced delays and cancellations, the men's downhill at Whistler Creekside finally commenced after considerable disruption to its schedule.

A Swiss gold had been predicted for the prestigious downhill event, but it was not Didier Cuche who would vindicate those expectations.

Didier Defago became the first Swiss to ski to gold since the eminent Pirmin Zurbriggen at, coincidentally, the Calgary games in 1988. His finish time of 1:54.31 was just 0.07 seconds ahead of Norway's world champion, Aksel Lund Svindal.

Despite his performance more than meriting gold, the USA's Bode Miller could not better the silver he collected at the 2002 and 2006 games, finishing third. This downhill had the narrowest margin of separation in Olympic history between the top three.

In the men's 15-kilometer cross country freestyle, Switzerland continued its day's success with Dario Cologna. His resounding time of 33:36.3 enabled him to become the first Swiss to earn an Olympic gold in the event. 

The strain was evident when Cologna collapsed to the ground as he waited for his rivals to cross the finish line.

Cologna established an unassailable lead of 24.6 seconds on Italy's defending skier Pietro Piller Cottrer. The Czech Republic's Lukas Bauer took bronze.

Cologna's sense of accomplishment was encapsulated when he spoke to the media: "I had a very good feeling from the start, I didn't believe I could win the 15-kilometer, but I pushed until the end. With this victory, my childhood dream came true."

At the pristine Cypress Mountain course, the USA's Seth Westcott successfully defended his 2006 gold in the snowboard cross to confound what had been a lacklustre performance in qualification.  

Canadian Mike Robertson continued the momentum that had intensified with mogul skier Alexandre Bilodeau's historic gold. France's Tony Raimon took bronze, while five-time X-Games gold medalist Nate Holland ended his Olympics in a medal-less fourth.

Despite issues arising with the surface at the Richmond Olympic Oval, South Korea's Tae-Bum Mo raced to gold in an exciting 500-meter speed skating final, with an overall time of 69.82 seconds 

Japan's Keiichiro Nagashima and Joji Kato comprised second and third, respectively. Canada's world record holder, Jeremy Wotherspoon, struggled in ninth.

The South Korean, who was celebrating his 21st birthday, said: "I kept practising over and over again and I think that was very important, and I really wanted to do well. It's my best birthday present and it's my present to Koreans."

At the Pacific Coliseum, China's married pair, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo, became China's golden couple in the free skating discipline with a points total of 216.57.

The Chinese had ended their three-year retirement, having married in 2007, to be elevated to the status of Vancouver's Valentine darlings. Their deserving, but imperfect, performance secured their—and China's—first Olympic gold in pairs.

The couple, whose intimacy on the ice was irrepressible, had stated it was their last opportunity for an Olympic gold. 

Silver went to compatriots Pang Qing and Tong Jian, while Germany's Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy brought home the bronze for a performance as notable for their elaborate attire as their aptitude on the ice.

The victory terminated an extraordinary dominance by Russia's skaters, which had begun in 1964 with Ludmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov. The gold at the 2002 Salt Lake games was shared between Russia and Canada due to a judging controversy.