Keepingitreal

Vonn for the ages; Lindsey wins first Olympic gold

WHISTLER, British Columbia (AP) -- If this is how Lindsey Vonn skis with a bruised shin, then the rest of the field has no chance.Vonn showed no signs of discomfort when she won the Olympic downhill by more than half a second Wednesday, with childhood rival and American teammate Julia Mancuso taking a surprise silver medal."This is everything I've wanted and hoped for," Vonn said, her voice choked with emotion. "I gave up everything for this."Vonn hurt her right shin Feb. 2 during pre-Olympic training in Austria and had hardly skied over the past two weeks. Still, as the two-time defending overall World Cup champion and the winner of five of the six downhills this season, she was an overwhelming favorite."She had the weight of the world on her," said Vonn's husband and chief adviser, a former U.S. skier who also serves as a personal coach. "People were basically hanging the medal around her neck before the start. That's incredibly hard to deal with."Thomas Vonn was up at the top of the hill before his wife's run, and the Vonns embraced in a hug that lasted for 30 seconds when they reunited at the finish."It was one of the most clutch runs I've ever seen," Thomas Vonn said.In a race characterized by several crashes -- including one to Swedish standout Anja Pärson -- Vonn's sped down Franz's Downhill in 1 minute, 44.19 seconds.Mancuso finished 0.56 seconds behind, and Elisabeth Görgl of Austria took the bronze medal, 1.46 seconds back.Maria Riesch of Germany, Vonn's best friend and usual rival of late, finished eighth. Andrea Fischbacher of Austria placed fourth, Fabienne Suter of Switzerland fifth and Whistler local Britt Janyk of Canada sixth.The comfortable margin was in sharp contrast to the men's downhill Monday, when only 0.09 seconds separated the winner, Didier Defago of Switzerland, from the bronze medalist, Bode Miller. That was the tiniest margin between first and third place in Olympic men's downhill history. CONTINUE READING...

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Shani Davis wins gold in men's 1,000 speedskating

With a furious kick on the final lap Wednesday, Shani Davis stuck his skate across the line and won his second straight gold medal in 1,000-meter Olympic speedskating.Four years ago at Turin, he became the first African-American athlete to win an individual gold at the Winter Games. This time, he simply wanted to be known for his skating. Period."When you're a world champion or an Olympic champion, you get this little thing on your back called a target," said Davis, the first male skater to win this event a second time at the Winter Games. "To go out there and win the 1,000 meters twice is truly amazing."The Americans broke their medal drought at the Richmond Olympic Oval with a flourish, claiming not just one but two spots on the podium. Chad Hedrick, who won three medals at the 2006 games, took a surprising bronze after struggling to regain his motivation after Italy."I had to dig down deep and find my passion for speedskating again," the Texan said.Davis swung both arms twice on the final backstretch, knowing he needed a little more speed to catch South Korea's Mo Tae-bum. The American found just enough, posting a time of 1 minute, 8.94 seconds.Mo, who won gold in the 500 two days ago, settled for silver this time, 18-hundreths behind Davis. Hedrick was next in 1:09.32."Those last 200, 300 meters were very difficult," Davis said. "I was just trying to carry my speed. I could feel it leaving me. It doesn't matter what it looks like, just as long as you get across the line as quick as you could."Davis pumped his fist in the air and slapped hands with the U.S. coaches on the backstretch. Then, as he coasted around near the finish line, Hedrick skated over to shake his hand firmly and pat him on the back several times.Four years ago, their accomplishments in Italy — Davis won a gold and silver; Hedrick a medal of each color — were overshadowed by a nasty feud stemming from the team pursuit.Davis wanted to stick with his individual events, a decision that peeved Hedrick, who believed it cost the Americans a shot at a medal.Their animosity boiled over at a news conference after the 1,500, in which Davis finished second and Hedrick third. Hedrick brought up the team pursuit, and Davis stormed out of the room complaining that Hedrick didn't congratulate him on his gold, only the silver. CONTINUE READING...