For the red, white and blue, the Vancouver games were a magical run. Team USA had successful results across the board, from Nordic combined to ice hockey, ending up with 37 total medals, a Winter Olympics record. It was also the first time the United States has led the medal count in the winter games since 1932 in Lake Placid. The Daily takes a look at the top five American athletes at the center of the success.
1. Bode Miller: The bad boy of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, Miller needed to do a lot to atone for his sins as he arrived in Vancouver. Four years ago, he admitted on CBS' "60 Minutes" to skiing while "wasted," and he failed to medal once in Torino.
However, Vancouver was a different story. He began the games with bronze in the downhill and silver in the super G, making him the most decorated American alpine skier of all time. He then finally earned the gold that had eluded him for eight years with two strong runs in the combined event. The redemption of Bode Miller was complete.
2. Shaun White: Long seen as the king of the snowboarding half−pipe, White proved once again that his abilities are at another level than the rest of the competition. A strong first run earned him a score of 46.8, but it lacked his signature move, the Double McTwist 1260. No one could match his first−run score in either of the two runs, so when White prepared to drop into the half pipe, it was merely a formality. White could have skipped his second run and simply celebrated his victory, but instead he gave the crowd a show. He put up another near perfect run, finishing it off with the Double McTwist 1260 and sending the crowd into a frenzy.
3. Johnny Spillane: Three weeks ago, the United States had never won a single medal in a Nordic combined event. Today, there are three hanging on Spillane's mantle. Spillane and his teammates dominated the event, which combines ski jumping with cross−country skiing.
It all started in the individual normal hill, where Spillane was edged out for the gold by a mere four−tenths of a second but still held on for the silver. The Americans then followed up with another silver medal in the team event.
But in the individual large hill, it was all the United States. Spillane and teammate Bill Demong dominated the event and finished one−two. Team USA ended the games with four of the nine available medals in the sport.
4. Ryan Miller: In a hockey tournament hyped as the greatest in Olympic history, Miller was arguably the best player on the ice. Miller was the linchpin in the United States' magical run to silver and was almost unbeatable throughout the games. After two early wins in the qualifying rounds, the United States found itself matched up against the Canadians. Miller stood on his head, making 42 saves, including some truly incredible efforts. The Canadians never led, and the Americans took the game 5−3.
Miller continued his run in the single−elimination rounds and did not give up a single goal in the quarterfinals or semifinals. Though the Americans fell 3−2 in the finals to Canada, Miller still gave it all he could, adding 36 more saves to his total. Even the Canadian fans appreciated his effort, and as he was handed his silver, he was given a standing ovation from the crowd.
5. Apolo Anton Ohno: The only thing predictable about the sport of short track speedskating is that when it comes to the end of the race, Ohno will surely be in the mix for a medal. Ohno began the Olympics in the 1,500−meter race, where he benefitted from the fall of two of the Korean skaters on the final turn and took silver. He then earned bronze in the 1,000−meter after jumping over two fallen skaters in the semifinals. This was his seventh career medal, making him most decorated American winter athlete ever.
But he was not quite finished. In the team relay, he was the final one to race and started with his team in last place. Once again, he showed his resolve, passing the Chinese team and losing by a fraction of a second to the Koreans. It was still good enough for a bronze, Ohno's eighth medal.
