By JONATHAN DECICCO
With the built up anticipation of over four years of waiting, the winter Olympics have already come and gone. The end was signified by an intriguing closing ceremony held by the host country, Russia, on February 23, 2014. This international spectacle drew the worlds greatest athletes to compete in Sochi for a chance to win one of the coveted medals and to represent their country. With great hope and pressure put onto the United States, the country placed second, runner up to Russia, with a total of 28 medals– nine gold, seven silver and twelve bronze. With some new events, difficult courses, and surprisingly warm temperatures, the US persevered with some of the most astounding performances.
One of the most highlighted moments of the 2014 winter Olympics was Meryl Davis’s Charlie White’s gold medal performance. Skating together since 1997 the two have been a pair longer than any other US ice dance team. With high expectations put the duo and the prediction of gold before Sochi, the pair did not disappoint. The two delivered the first ice dancing gold medal in US Olympic history.
Young athlete Mikaela Shiffrin also had a star studded performance placing first and winning gold in the women’s slalom. Shiffrin became the youngest person to win gold in this event and is expected to leave a long olympic history in the future.
There was also some disappointment in the games as well. Shaun White, a US snowboarder and two time gold medal winner, was competing for a shot to become the first US olympian to win the gold in the same event three consecutive times. Battling a wrist injury he was forced to drop out of the slopestyle and compete in only the halfpipe. He finished off the medal podium, with Switzerland’s Iouri Podladtchikov placing first.
Other memorable moments of the Olympics included 36-year-old Bode Miller’s bronze in the super-G. What is likely to be his last Olympics, Miller displayed tears of joy with the achievement of his bronze medal. After suffering the tough loss of his younger brother and fellow Olympic hopeful in snowboard cross, Miller and his fans were proud of his accomplishment.
The games were filled with countless other victories, from the bobsled to snowboardcross, the US Olympic athletes worked as a unit to represent their country for this winter Olympics.
