U.S. tops Olympic medals
After the tragic death of 21-yearold luger Nodar Kumaritashvili of Georgia, many took the time to reflect on the young athlete’s short career. At 5’10” 175 lbs., Kumaritashvili promised to be a relevant competitor for Georgia, being one of the youngest on its roster.
As of Monday, the U.S. leads the medal count with eight — two gold, two silver, and four bronze. Germany, with five medals, and France, with four, follow close behind.
Hannah Kearny started off Saturday by giving the U.S. its first gold medal of the Winter Games in the women’s moguls, after finishing first in the rankings during the qualifying rounds.
The win puts Kearney back on the map as an elite competitor in the moguls after a disappointing 22nd place finish in the 2006 Torino games.
Scott Wescott also brought gold to the trophy room. Despite Wescott ranking 17th in the men’s snowboarding cross qualifying, he captured the gold in the medal round on Monday afternoon.
Other notable finishes include Apolo Ohno, who, after his silver medal finish in the men’s 1500-meter sprint, tied Bonnie Blair for most medals by a U.S. Winter Olympian. J.R. Celski, a 19-year-old who took the bronze in men’s speedskating, recovering from his 2009 crash during the U.S. trials back in September.
The men’s half-pipe is what lies ahead for the U.S. team, which has taken six of the last nine medals in the snowboarding event. Headlining the group is reigning Olympic champion Shaun White, along with firsttimers Scotty Lago, Greg Bretz and Louie Vito.
While the Americans will try to sweep the podium, they will have to beat out Japan’s Ryo Aono, who won the 2009 World Championships and also the World Cup half-pipe title. With two weeks to go, the U.S. will try to continue its early dominance of the Olympic Games.
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