B O B S L E I G H • HOW DOES IT FEEL TO ROCKET DOWN THE

Transcription

B O B S L E I G H
D O W N THE
•
HOW
ICE I N A 1 2 0 0
DOES
POUND
IT
FEEL T O
ROCKET
SLED? F O R T W O
39'
YEAR-OLDS E N D I N G T H E I R CAREERS AT T H E SALT LAKE 2 0 0 2
GAMES,
WOMEN,
I T EELT LIKE A LAST C H A N C E AT G L O R Y . F O R 3 0
COMPETING
IN THE
DEBUT W O M E N ' S
OLYMPIC
BOBSLEIGH EVENT, I T FELT LIKE A FIRST C H A N C E AT GREATNESS I N T H E SPORT. F O R YUGOSLAVIA'S B O R I S R A D J E N O V I C ,
A FORMER POLITICAL PRISONER W H O
HAD
R E T U R N E D TO
C O M P E T E W I T H H I S S O N , I T FELT LIKE F R E E D O M . A N D
TWO-TIME
BREAST-CANCER SURVIVOR
ILDIKO
FOR
The Norwegian
two-man
team of Arnfinn
Utah
T
I
B
Olympic
O
R
Kristiansen
and Bjarne R0yland
Park on February
N
E
M
E
trains at
15.
T
H
STREHLL
Source : Bibliothèque du CIO / IOC Library
international federation, the IOC and the Salt Lake O r g a n i z i n g C o m m i t t e e . These athletes recruited
p i l o t i n g a b r i g h t - p i n k sled that symbolized the struggle against the disease, it felt like hope.
M o s t of all, t h e r e was t h e f e e l i n g o f a d r e n a l i n e , a c o n c o c t i o n o f j o y a n d fear. R i d i n g i n
w o m e n f r o m o t h e r nations to f o r m t h e i r o w n teams. T h e m o v e m e n t grew, far exceeding anyone's
machines b u i l t w i t h race-car technology, enduring gravitational forces of four Gs, t i m e d to the 100th
expectations. O l y m p i c status was granted to women's bobsleigh o n O c t o b e r 2, 1999, for inclusion in
of a second, is like a roller-coaster ride w i t h no safety bars. Prince A l b e r t of M o n a c o , w h o crashed in
the Salt Lake 2002 Games. A v i c t o r y was w o n even before the 15 sleds f r o m 11 nations t o o k to the
the second heat of the four-man, k n e w the risks. But he had returned for his f i f t h O l y m p i c W i n t e r
O l y m p i c track on February 19, 2002.
Germany's team h o p e d for more victories o n the U t a h O l y m p i c Park track. A soldier in her
Games, he said, because "I've never wanted that feeling to go away. 1 still l o n g to go faster."
h o m e l a n d of Germany and former luge athlete w h o w o n bronze in 1992 and silver in 1994, Susi-Lisa
A f t e r w i n n i n g three O l y m p i c medals and nine w o r l d championships, Germany's C h r i s t o p h
Erdmann was the overall W o r l d C u p c h a m p i o n for the 2 0 0 1 - 0 2 season. "With b r a k e w o m a n N i c o l e
L a n g e n was s t i l l a p e r f e c t i o n i s t . H i s e x a c t i n g nature explains w h y , at age 39, t r a i n i n g f o r his last
H e r s c h m a n n , she was a favorite for first place. Also favored t o medal was Sandra Prokoff, another
Games, he still b u i l t his o w n sleds. T h e c o m b i n a t i o n of his precise k n o w l e d g e of his sled a n d his
German soldier, w h o finished second to Erdmann in the W o r l d C u p standings and rode in w i t h U l r i k e
unsurpassed d r i v i n g skills made Langen and teammate Markus Z i m m e r m a n n a favorite to w i n in the
H o l z n e r i n a sled painted as a hammerhead shark. Between these t w o sleds, G e r m a n y h a d w o n every
Salt Lake 2002 Games. It d i d not, however, guarantee anything. T w o U.S. teams had trained l o n g and
W o r l d C u p race of the season.
hard to end the country's 46-year bobsleigh medal drought. N o b o d y knew the course better than drivers T o d d Hays and Brian Shimer, w h o had navigated the t w i s t i n g U t a h O l y m p i c Park track hundreds
of times. Hays w o u l d compete w i t h Garrett Hines, w h i l e Shimer w o u l d race w i t h D a r r i n Steele. Each
" I ' V E N E V E R W A N T E D T H A T F E E L I N G T O G O AWAY," S A I D
team h o p e d to t u r n its experience i n t o g o l d in front of the h o m e c r o w d . T h e n there was C h r i s t i a n
Reich, a welder f r o m Switzerland and a three-time O l y m p i a n . Distraught w i t h his fourth-place finish
in N a g a n o , Reich was o u t for revenge w i t h brakeman Steve A n d e r h u b . A n d Reich's c o u n t r y m a n ,
P R I N C E A L B E R T . "I
STILL L O N G TO GO
FASTER."
cheesemaker M a r t i n Annen, in the sled w i t h Beat H e f t i , was also a medal contender, h a vi n g burst i n t o
bobsleigh in 2000 b y earning seven medals and l a n d i n g in first place overall in the two-man standings.
A m e r i c a n Jean Racine was ready for a comeback. She and b r a k e w o m a n Jen D a v i d s o n h a d
A f t e r the first run, Reich was in the lead over Langen, but o n l y b y 0.02 seconds. A n o t h e r 0.02
w o n overall W o r l d C u p titles in 1 9 9 9 - 2 0 0 0 a n d 2 0 0 0 - 0 1 b u t began s l i p p i n g i n the standings in
seconds separated the third-place A n n e n f r o m Langen, w h i l e the USA-1 sled p i l o t e d b y Hays sat in the
2 0 0 1 - 0 2 . In a controversial move, Racine d u m p e d Davidson and began c o m p e t i n g w i t h Gea Johnson,
f o u r t h position. As the race progressed, Langen and Reich slowly pulled away f r o m the field, but not
a t o p - r a n k e d h e p t a t h l e t e f r o m 1 9 8 9 - 9 5 . D u r i n g t h e i r second race together, the duo set the track
f r o m each other. D u r i n g the t h i r d heat, Langen drove his sled to a track-record time of 47.44 seconds,
r e c o r d in Park City. Said Racine before the race: "I'm g o i n g for the gold."
besting the record of 47.52 set the day before b y Reich. G o i n g into the final heat, there was not just one
But w i n n i n g g o l d in the two-heat event w o u l d require strong starts and early d o m i n a t i o n , and
but t w o ties (a remarkable occurrence in bobsleigh): between Langen and Reich in first and between
b o t h w o u l d elude Racine. Johnson had pulled her hamstring three days before c o m p e t i t i o n and strug-
Hays and the Canadian team of Pierre Lueders and G i u l i o Z a r d o in fourth. A n n e n was in third.
gled in pain d u r i n g the first run push. She and Racine were in fifth place, 0.50 seconds o f f the lead.
Despite a strong final run in w h i c h he beat Lueders, Hays c o u l d not best Annen's c o m b i n e d
Erdmann and H e r s c h m a n n sat in the t h i r d spot w h i l e Prokoff and H o l z n e r were in second place. In
time. "1 t h o u g h t we had a chance," he said, h a vi n g missed the medal b y 0.03 seconds. "But A n n e n rose
the lead were Americans Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers, in a candy-apple red sled flecked w i t h w h i t e
t o the occasion, and that's w h y he's the bronze medalist."
snowflakes. W i t h m u c h of the attention paid to Racine, Davidson and Johnson, Bakken and Flowers
In the gold-medal runoff, Reich's sled w e n t first and he crossed the finish line in 47.70 seconds.
igg
h a d trained obscurely and exhaustively.
As Langen raced d o w n the course, a lucky p i g charm attached to his u n i fo r m , his split times indicated
So it was a surprise w h e n Bakken, the youngest member of the American team, and Flowers, a
he was trailing Reich b y fractions of a second. But navigating a sled built w i t h his o w n hands and using
seven-time A l l - A m e r i c a n track and field star f r o m Alabama, set a new track record t i m e of 48.81 sec-
16 years of bobsleigh experience to his advantage, Langen made up time o n the final p o r t i o n of the
onds. Suddenly, the attention t u r n e d to w h a t had come to be k n o w n as the "other" U.S. team for the
course and c l o c k e d in at 47.61, w i n n i n g the g o l d b y less than one t e n t h of a second.
second run. C o u l d they h o l d o n to first place?
Reflecting o n m a k i n g up fractions of a second o n his w a y to victory, Langen said, "In curves
Indeed, the Germans c o u l d not make up the lost t i m e — 0 . 2 9 seconds—in o n l y one run. A f t e r
six to eleven the ride was superb. In curve eleven I t h o u g h t , ' O h m y gosh, we m i g h t be able to make
their runs, Erdmann and Prokoff c o u l d o n l y hope that Bakken w o u l d make a mistake. But the quiet
it,' and we did. Basically, I wanted Christian [Reich] and I to finish w i t h the same time. W e have fought
driver negotiated the track q u i c k l y and cleanly, finishing in 48.95 seconds for the gold. Prokoff and
like tigers, and this is a h i g h l i g h t of the w h o l e program here."
H o l z n e r t o o k silver, 0.30 seconds b e h i n d the Americans, and Erdmann and Herschmann finished 0.53
seconds b e h i n d for the bronze.
T h e first-ever women's O l y m p i c bobsleigh c o m p e t i t i o n began w i t h letters. Long, passionate
A t O l y m p i c Medals Plaza the next night. Flowers cried silently. T w o years earlier, she made it
letters f r o m five teams w h o dreamed of c o m p e t i n g in 2002. In 1997, they were t o l d that due to a lack
to the 2000 O l y m p i c trials for track and field, but d i d not qualify. H e r O l y m p i c dreams t e m p o r a r i l y
of international interest in the sport, not to m e n t i o n the dearth of teams, even inclusion at the 2006
shattered, she had responded o n a w h i m t o a flier seeking potential bobsled athletes. N o w she was a
Games was far-fetched. T h e year 2010 seemed a more reasonable goal. So athletes f r o m Switzerland,
g o l d medalist, the first A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n athlete ever to w i n g o l d at an O l y m p i c W i n t e r Games. A n d
Germany, Great Britain, Canada and the U n i t e d States began a l e t t e r - w r i t i n g campaign to the sport's
w i t h their victory, Bakken and Flowers claimed the first U.S. O l y m p i c medal in bobsleigh in 46 years.
"We feel honored to be the first ones to break the streak," she said. "Hopefully, this w i l l encourage other A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n boys and girls to give w i n t e r sports a try."
T h e American men—specifically T o d d Hays and Brian Shimer—were determined to break the
medal drought in their o w n right. T h e 39-year-old Shimer, the veteran and five-time O l y m p i a n of the
U.S. squad, had one last shot at an O l y m p i c medal, a medal that had eluded h i m t h r o u g h four straight
O l y m p i c W i n t e r Games. H e had come close in the past, extremely close, missing a bronze in Nagano
b y just 0.02 seconds. But close wasn't g o o d e n o u g h for Shimer, so he set his sights o n Salt Lake.
H o b b l e d b y injuries t h r o u g h o u t his career—he missed most of the 2000 season after t w o knee operations—Shimer was not even a sure bet to make the team for the 2002 Games.
But make it he did. After the first t w o runs he sat in fifth place, a relative l o n g shot for a medal
at 0.39 seconds b e h i n d the leader, teammate Hays. T h e fellow American had outraced stiff competit i o n f r o m the G e r m a n sled d r i v e n b y f i r s t - t i m e O l y m p i a n A n d r é Lange and the t w o Swiss sleds,
p i l o t e d b y t w o - m a n bronze medalist A n n e n and t w o - m a n silver medalist Reich, respectively.
W a r m temperatures slowed the track on the second day of c o m p e t i t i o n and Hays, the first
driver d o w n , clocked a t h i r d heat time of 47.22, more than half a second slower than either of his runs
the day before. But if the other sleds suffered the same fate, the t o p spot w o u l d remain his. A n d t h e n
Lange t o o k to the course. A blistering run of 46.84 p r o p e l l e d his sled i n t o the lead, b y a h e f t y margin
of 0.29 seconds. M i n u t e s later, A n n e n m o v e d i n t o second, d r o p p i n g Hays t o t h i r d . Shimer, in the
meantime, had gained g r o u n d and m o v e d into fourth place. W o u l d he suffer the same heartbreak as he
d i d four years earlier?
It came d o w n to the final heat, the excitement b u i l d i n g as the top four teams raced f r o m slowest to fastest. T h e day before, after the second run, Shimer was asked w h a t it w o u l d take to make up
time on the leader board on the final day. "This is m y track," he declared. " N o b o d y is g o i n g to beat me
d o w n driving."
Shimer was r i g h t ; he was the fastest in that final heat. In the last run of his career, he crossed
the line in 47.23 and t e m p o r a r i l y grabbed the lead. Hays came d o w n next, fast enough to move i n t o
the top spot. A n n e n , w h o had struggled w i t h his sled on the t h i r d run, faltered again o n the final run.
W h e n the Swiss sled failed to crack the t o p t w o spots, the e i g h t A m e r i c a n athletes k n o c k e d one
another d o w n in exuberance. Even if Lange and the Germans w o n g o l d ( w h i c h they did), there w o u l d
still be t w o medals for the U n i t e d States: silver for T o d d Hays and his team of Garrett Hines, Randy
Jones and Bill Schuffenhauer and bronze for Shimer, M i k e K o h n , D o u g Sharp and D a n Steele.
"I'm numb," said Shimer, s m i l i n g t h r o u g h his tears. "For 16 years this is all 1 ever dreamed for.
To go out here, in the U n i t e d States, in m y last O l y m p i c W i n t e r Games, in m y last race, in the last run
of m y career, it's a fairy-tale ending. As far as I'm concerned, that bronze is as shiny as gold."
"I know that this is the most important
ridinij
race of any athlete's career. There's so much
on it. Sometimes it t/ets a little overwhelming,
world. " - Bronze medalist Brian
A
N
D
Y
A
hut I wouldn't
Shimer, United
N
D
E
R
S
change it for the
States of America
O
N
2
02
"What
Driver
Dan Janjigian
on the track.
Prior
and Jy or (jo s Alexandrou
of Armenia
to the Games, the pair had faced financial
take a training
run
setbacks and practiced
of the United
can I say? This is a dream come true for me." - Vonetta Flowers
States of America,
above, on winning
the first-ever
bobsleigh gold with driver Jill Bakken on February
women's Olympic
19.
with a wheeled sled on the streets of San Jose, California.
S H E I L A
L
I
S
A
B
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T
H
O
'
D
O
N
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E
L
M
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T
Z
N
E
R
L
Austria's
Wolfgang
two-man
The Czech Republic
team prepares for the push on February
Stampfer
and Martin
competition.
Schiitzenauer
navigate
Salt Lake 2002 marked the fourth
a turn during
the
Olympic
23.
Winter
Games for the 3 9-year-old
field's
4 x ioo
D
A
Schiitzenauer,
m relay at the Atlanta
V
I
D
B
U
who also competed in track and
1996 Olympic
R
N
E
T
Games.
T
An Austrian
"I (Jot goose bumps at the start. The atmosphere is just excellent. It's a lot of
fun
to compete here." — Susi-Lisa
Erdmann,
Germany
team rockets through
of warm-weather
in bobsleigh.
"This
Watt,
S T E V E N
C
U
R
R
I
the track. In 2002, a remarkable
delegations joined
the traditional
European
powerhouses
sport is not only for people who live in the cold,
a driver and member of Jamaica's
number
said Winston
team since 1993.
E
T
I
B
O
R
N
E
M
E
T
H
A newcomer and a veteran pose at Utah
the gold.
said American
Olympic
Park just one day before winning
"I've been blessed to come into this sport and pick it up so cjuickly,"
Vonetta Flowers
[left].
been eight years of hard work,
Said Jill Bakken,
"It's such an amazing feeling...It's
and it's come down to this—the
J O H N
H
U
E
gold medal."
T
•
' • > ' r •'
' •
•
IT
S K E L E T O N
WAS A U N I Q U E
AND
UNLIKELY
C A M A R A D E R I E , T H E SKELETON C O M M U N I T Y . I T WAS A FIREFIGHTER FROM O H I O A N D AN AIR-TRAFFIC CONTROLLER
FROM AUSTRIA. A
LANDSCAPE A R C H I T E C T F R O M CALGARY
A N D A N I N T E L L I G E N C E O F F I C E R W I T H T H E B R I T I S H ROYAL
AIR
F O R C E . T H E Y C A M E T O G E T H E R O U T OF A PURE LOVE
F O R T H E SPORT, FOR T H E
R U S H OF H U R T L I N G
D O W N A F R O Z E N T R A C K AT NEARLY 8 0
CHINS
SCANT
INCHES
TOGETHER. T H E Y
FROM
THE
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BECAME A F A M I L Y . I N
HEADFIRST
M I L E S PER H O U R ,
THEY
TRAINED
Kazuhiro
Koshi of Japan gets ready to ride at Utah
S
H
E
I
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A
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Z
N
Olympic
E
Park.
R
FEBRUARY 2 0 0 2 ,
Pandemonium. Bittersweet euphoria. D u e l i n g chants of "USA! and JIMMY SHEA! merged into one.
skeleton returned to O l y m p i c W i n t e r Games c o m p e t i t i o n after a 54-year absence. A n d so, on a snowy
"U.S. SHEA! U.S. SHEA!" Shea removed his helmet, pulled out the photograph of a smiling Jack and held it
day at U t a h O l y m p i c Park, the skeleton family stepped o n t o the sporting world's grandest stage.
h i g h for all to see. A n d then he looked skyward. Near the finish line, Sheas mother, Judy, turned, her eyes
M E N ' S
•
overflowing w i t h tears, and said to nobody in particular, "Grandpa w o u l d have loved it.
Jim Shea Jr. wasn't supposed to w i n the g o l d medal. H e wasn't even the top-ranked slider comp e t i n g for the U n i t e d States. H e was good, no d o u b t , but he wasn't G r e g o r Stahli, the slider f r o m
Switzerland w h o w o n four of the five races d u r i n g the 2 0 0 1 - 0 2 season. Shea didn't even have a major
recent w i n , like teammate Ghris Soule, w h o w o n the last W o r l d Gup race of the 2 0 0 1 - 0 2 season in St.
•
T h i r t e e n athletes represented 10 nations in the first women's skeleton race in O l y m p i c W i n t e r Games
M o r i t z , S w i t z e r l a n d — t h e one race that Stahli d i d n ' t — a n d finished the season ranked second overall.
history. Even in such a small group, a few sliders stood out f r o m the rest. Great Britain s Alex Goomber,
A n d he wasn't the h o m e t o w n favorite: T h a t h o n o r belonged to fellow American L i n c o l n D e W i t t .
a lieutenant in the Royal A i r Force, had d o m i n a t e d the sport, w i n n i n g three straight overall W o r l d
Shea, a third-generation O l y m p i a n , carried s o m e t h i n g w i t h h i m on his sled, t h o u g h , that the
Gup titles. M a y a Pedersen, a teacher in Switzerland, was the defending w o r l d champion, w h o ranked
other athletes were missing: the spirit of his grandfather. Jim's father, Jim Sr., competed in nordic com-
second in the 2 0 0 1 - 0 2 W o r l d Gup standings. T h e best hope for a U.S. O l y m p i c medal rested w i t h
b i n e d and cross-country skiing events at the Innsbruck 1964 Games. His grandfather. Jack, w o n t w o
Lea A n n Parsley, a 33-year-old firefighter f r o m O h i o .
g o l d medals in speed skating at the Lake Placid 1932 Games. N i n e t y - o n e years o l d and America's old-
T h e first heat yielded some surprising results. Pedersen struggled on the snowy track and landed
est l i v i n g w i n t e r O l y m p i a n , Jack was p r o u d to see his grandson earn a spot on the O l y m p i c team, and
in seventh place. M i c h e l l e Kelly, a Ganadian w h o set the U t a h O l y m p i c Park course record in February
excited t o travel to U t a h to w a t c h h i m compete at the Salt Lake 2002 Games. But o n January 22, a
2001, was in the 11th position. A solid run put Goomber, w h o had never practiced skeleton in the snow
tragic car a c c i d e n t — j u s t blocks f r o m Jack's Lake Placid, N e w York, h o m e — c l a i m e d his life. Shea
at U t a h O l y m p i c Park, in t h i r d place, 0.22 seconds out of the lead. Parsley, c o m p e t i n g w i t h a pulled
returned to U t a h after the funeral, inspired to h o n o r the m e m o r y of his grandfather w i t h a victory.
hamstring, raced t h r o u g h the pain to a time of 52.27 seconds, fast enough for second place.
O n February 20, c o m p e t i t i o n day, snow began to fall. T h i s was a rare sight at the Games. For
S i t t i n g in the top spot after the first r o u n d was a small 21 -year-old f r o m Salt Lake G i t y named
t w o weeks the sun h a d shined steadily, and some racers were nervous. Snow made the sliding t r i c k y
Tristan Gale, just 5 feet 2 inches tall, 115 pounds, nicknamed "Twister" because she h a d accidentally
and slow, but the race—an event of t w o heats—was on. T h e effects of the weather were felt b y the
spun in her sled w h i l e first t r y i n g the sport. H e r performance was a surprise—Gale had never even
competitor, the top-ranked Stahli. H e navigated the course in 51.16 seconds, t w o seconds slower
heard of the sport u n t i l 1998, and h a d never finished higher than e i g h t h place at a major event d u r i n g
than normal for the sport's best athletes. M a r t i n Retti of Austria then slid in 51.02 seconds, a bit quicker
her debut season in 2 0 0 1 - 0 2 . T h e s n o w y c o n d i t i o n s o n the track should have favored the heavier
t h a n Stahli, b u t still m u c h slower t h a n his t r a c k - r e c o r d r u n o f 48.60 seconds f r o m a year earlier.
sliders. But there was Gale, w a v i n g to the fans and h o l d i n g a precarious lead of 0.01 seconds.
firs1;
2 {2
w o m e n ' s
A t the start line. Shea j u m p e d up and down. H e ran in place. A n d then, w i t h a photograph of his
W i t h the e x c i t e m e n t of Shea's g o l d m e d a l - w i n n i n g run minutes earlier still r e v e r b e r a t i n g
grandfather tucked inside his helmet, Jim Shea Jr. t o o k off o n the ride of his life. H e blazed t h r o u g h
t h r o u g h U t a h O l y m p i c Park, one b y one, the competitors for the final r o u n d slid d o w n the course. It
the course, the spectators' cheers g r o w i n g louder as each of his split times were posted. H e was on a
soon became clear that none of t h e m w o u l d make up her t i m e deficit. S h o w i n g more familiar form,
pace to take over the lead f r o m Retti. Shea slid flawlessly, given the conditions of the track, and w h e n
Pedersen recorded the fastest time in the second run. It was not, however, enough to salvage her lack-
his final time of 50.89 seconds flashed on the video board, he p u m p e d his fist triumphantly. H e was
luster first-round performance, and she settled for fifth place. G o o m b e r c o m p l e t e d a second solid run
0.13 seconds ahead of the pack, a lead that w o u l d h o l d up t h r o u g h o u t the remainder of the first run.
and secured herself at least the bronze. T h e chants for USA grew louder.
2
T h e race came d o w n to the final t w o athletes—teammates and friends, racing each other for
S H E A R E M O V E D H I S H E L M E T , PULLED O U T A P H O T O G R A P H
O l y m p i c gold. Parsley slid first, and her t i m e of 52.94 seconds m o v e d her i n t o first place. N o t for
long. W i t h her hair streaked red, w h i t e and blue and the letters USA painted on her left cheek. Gale
s t o r m e d t h e course in 52.85 seconds, w i n n i n g the g o l d b y one t e n t h of a s e c o n d o v e r Parsley.
AND
HELD
IT
HIGH.
AN D THEN
HE
LOOKED
SKYWARD.
G o o m b e r claimed the bronze, the first medal of the Salt Lake 2002 Games for Great Britain. Eleven
days after her m e d a l - w i n n i n g race, G o o m b e r a d m i t t e d she h a d c o m p e t e d w i t h a b r o k e n left arm. She
had h i d the i n j u r y from her coaches for fear t h e y w o u l d p r o h i b i t her f r o m c o m p e t i n g .
T h e snow c o n t i n u e d t h r o u g h the second round. Soon, o n l y the final three sliders remained.
A t the finish area, the m o o d was giddy. Parsley j u m p e d on Gale, and the t w o fell o n t o the
G l i f t o n Wrottesley, in position to secure a first-ever O l y m p i c W i n t e r Games medal for Ireland, c o u l d
track. Somehow, the exuberance and the camaraderie of the skeleton c o m m u n i t y had spilled over from
not duplicate his strong first run and w o u n d up finishing the race in f o u r t h place. Retti was next, put-
the track, and strangers hugged each other and exchanged jubilant h i g h fives. O n one snowy February
t i n g up a 50.99. A l l Shea needed was a 51.12 or better for the gold. As he slid, it appeared that he
day, the c r o w d was inspired by not just the courage, but b y the enthusiasm and the raw O l y m p i c Spirit
w o u l d n t be able to pull it off. H i s split times showed that his lead had d w i n d l e d away to n o t h i n g .
of a few athletes. A n d perhaps no one was inspired—or surprised—more than Gale, w h o was one of the
A n d then s o m e t h i n g incredible happened. H e actually made up time at the end of the course—a feat
first residents to check i n t o the O l y m p i c Village and the last to leave. "1 didn't k n o w 1 c o u l d slide well
rare at the t r a c k — a s if a h a n d appeared o u t of n o w h e r e and pushed h i m t o w a r d the finish. Shea
w i t h international c o m p e t i t i o n , she said, after her gold-medal run. I just w e n t out and d i d m y best.
crossed the line in 51.07, w i n n i n g by just five hundredths of a second. T h e other sliders m o b b e d him.
D u r i n g the race t h e y were his adversaries. N o w , once again, t h e y were a t i g h t - k n i t skeleton family.
'It's a dream come true. I have always said that the gold medal is possible for me. But even if I missed it by fivetenths of a second, I'm more than satisfied. " - Silver medalist Martin
J
O
H
N
H
u
E
T
Retti, Austria
"If bobsleigh is the champagne of thrills,
then skeleton is the moonshine of thrills."
- Gold medalist Jim Shea Jr., United States of America
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Jim Shea Sr. watched
his son win gold with tears in his eyes, convinced
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that
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he had some unfinished
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- Gold medalist Jim Shea Jr., United
J O H N
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Canada's
A snowstorm
on February
20 added a dreamlike
cjuality
0f
C H A D
H
O
L
D
E
Lindsay
Alcock
rides in the snow. "It's amazing
to he a part
to the skeleton events.
this—to
he in the first-ever
women's skeleton. I never expected to be here," she said.
R
I
A
N
L O G A N
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22
Several of the skeleton competitors
were firefighters,
shown at left during
a training
session. The Calgary,
of the "Toughest
Calgarian
Alive"
T
I
B
O
R
competition.
N
E
M
'This is going to be a blast. People don't know what
- Tristan
A
L
B
E
Gale of the United
R
T
C
O
E
including
Alberta,
T
H
A
N
(
they're going
T
O
Duff
Gibson,
resident is also a two-time
Gibson placed loth
States of America,
L
Canadian
L
winner
in the skeleton event.
E
F
T
)
to see when they come to a skeleton race."
just days before she won the gold.
N
I
O
(
A
B
O
V
E
)
2
"No one's heard of this sport, but everyone's done it. We've all had a Flexible
hopped on at one time or another.
Flyer
that we
When most people see the sport, it just takes them
back to sled rides as a kid." - Silver medalist Lea Ann Parsley,
United
"You're the vehicle so you get to experience the whole thing."
N
D
Y
A
N
D
E
R
S
O
- Luis Carrasco,
Mexico
States of America
A
A
25
N
D
Y
A
N
D
E
R
S
O
N
N
Troy Billing
ton of the U.S.
Virgin
Islands,
a schoolteacher,
scraped together funds
to buy a skeleton sled and often
slept in his car to save money. Just 48 hours before the race, he was informed he could not compete because of a
technicality
in the qualification
again,"
he said. Billington,
process. "I accept my fate, it wasn't my time. You snap back and you get to racing
who also runs an exchange program for kids, plans to compete in 2006.
T
I
B
O
R
N
E
M
E
T
H
95^9
L U G E
•
EVERY O L Y M P I A N HAS A STORY. A N D I N LUGE,
T H E M O S T PRECISELY T I M E D O L Y M P I C SPORT OE ALL, M A N Y
OE T H O S E STORIES JUST SLIP BY I N
F R A C T I O N S OE A SEC-
O N D . W E SEE T H E T R I U M P H OE T H E G I A N T S A N D MISS THE
O T H E R JOURNEYS, T H E H U N D R E D S OE SLOWER RIDES T H A T
ARE ALSO L I N E D W I T H GUTS, PASSION A N D N A T I O N A L PRIDE.
B U T AE I H E
SALT LAKE 2 0 0 2
EO PAY AT T E N T I O N
G A M E S , T H E W O R L D BEGAN
EO T H E BACK OE T H E PACK. YES, THERE
Melanie
WAS GLORY I N T H E G I A N T E E ATS OF G E O R G H A C K L , A R M I N
Z O G G E L E R , TEI E G E R M A N
WOMEN
AND
Ougier
of France slides down the Utah
A
N
D
Y
A
N
D
Olympic
E
R
Park
S
O
track on February
12.
N
THE A M E R I C A N
person W i l c z a k was t r y i n g especially h a r d for: her father, Tom. A w a i t i n g a liver transplant
men. For the nearly 70,000 spectators w h o s t o o d b y a mountainside to see a blur go by, however,
w i t h no
d o n o r in s i g h t — a n d weak w i t h fatigue, he had i g n o r e d his doctor's order not to travel. H e made the
there was also inspiration and h u m i l i t y in those w h o c o u l d not be defeated, no matter h o w far they fell
1400-mile t r i p f r o m Illinois to see his daughter compete and, hopefully, w i n a medal.
behind. Athletes like 21-year-old Shiva Keshavan, w h o alone represented India in 1998 and 2002. O r
"A c r o w d like this," meanwhile, referred to the 15,000 spectators w h o supported any team that
Reto Gilly, w h o finished in 2 4 t h place, but beamed v i c t o r i o u s l y at the finish line because his wife had
happened to be o n the track. If they k n e w the Germans m i g h t sweep the event, they d i d n t show it, or
just given b i i t h to a daughter back in Switzerland. O r the volunteer w h o courageously reached out
at least they didn't care. Pockets of Americans, Swiss and Canadians attempted to outchant each other
to stop a runaway sled f r o m i n j u r i n g a fallen athlete and lost the t i p of his finger. O r A n n e Abernathy,
w i t h national pride. A n d nearly as l o u d as the "USA!" yells for the American sliders were the thunder-
w h o had survived cancer and was c o m p e t i n g for the U.S. V i r g i n Islands. W h y ? "We all do it because
ous calls of "Latvia!" each time one of Latvia's w o m e n sliders came racing across the finish line.
we love the sport, ' said Abernathy. "That's the o n l y reason y o u should be d o i n g anything."
Angelika Neuner of Austria was not as o p t i m i s t i c as W i l c z a k . "Germanys girls are so strong,
M E N ' S
S I N G L E S
she said before the event. "All of the others are happy to get the f o u r t h place.
G e o r g H a c k l of Germany is arguably the greatest slider in the history of luge. In 2002, he was
H e r w o r d s p r o v e d t o be prescient. Sylke O t t o , Barbara N i e d e r n h u b e r and Silke Kraushaar
a t t e m p t i n g to become the first O l y m p i c W i n t e r Games athlete to w i n four consecutive g o l d medals in
made it clear f r o m the first r u n that the g o l d w o u l d b e l o n g to Germany. It became a question of w h o
the same individual event. O n e man, t h o u g h , had been gradually gaining g r o u n d on H a c k l , t r y i n g to
w o u l d wear it. Kraushaar, w h o cried the entire way d o w n her first luge run at age 9, eventually over-
snap the streak. A t Lillehammer in 1994, H a c k l w o n his second consecutive g o l d medal w h i l e a 20-
came her fear to become a three-time W o r l d C u p c h a m p i o n and g o l d medalist at the Nagano 1998
year-old rising star f r o m Italy named A r m i n Z ô g g e l e r t o o k the bronze. Four years later in Nagano,
Games. She t o o k the b r o n z e at U t a h O l y m p i c Park. N i e d e r n h u b e r , a police officer in Rosenheim,
H a c k l w o n again and Z ô g g e l e r claimed the silver. A l l H a c k l h a d to do in Park C i t y was to outrace
Germany, w h o w o n the silver medal in Nagano b e h i n d Kraushaar, w o n another silver in 2002. A n d
Z ô g g e l e r t o make history. But on February 10 and 11 at U t a h O l y m p i c Park, Zôggeler's t i m e had
O t t o , w h o had failed to even make the 1994 and 1998 O l y m p i c teams, p r o v e d in a b i g w a y that she
come. T h e Italian slider and three-time w o r l d c h a m p i o n raced four solid runs to stake his claim of
finally earned her spot. She flew past "Sylke O t t o Fan C l u b banners, German flags and T-shirts bear-
O l y m p i c g o l d and to complete his m u l t i c o l o r e d c o l l e c t i o n of medals. H a c k l finished 0.329 seconds
i n g her likeness straight to the gold, her first O l y m p i c medal. A n d to put an exclamation p o i n t on her
b e h i n d Z ô g g e l e r t o capture the silver, h o l d i n g off Austria's Markus P r o c k — w h o t o o k the b r o n z e -
achievement, she set the new track record o n her t h i r d run at 42.940 seconds. T h e Germans had, as
b y s l i g h t l y more than a t e n t h of a second.
2
30
expected, swept the event, recalling the German sweep of ladies' alpine c o m b i n e d at Nagano in 1998.
As Z ô g g e l e r crossed the finish line on his final run, H a c k l stood next to the track, w a t c h i n g
the scoreboard overhead. H i s reign as O l y m p i c c h a m p i o n over, he smiled and c l a p p e d his hands
together several times, cheering not for his silver but for another man's gold. A t the flower ceremony
a short time later, H a c k l and Prock, the t w o elder statesmen of luge, hoisted the new c h a m p i o n o n t o
H i s REIGN AS C H A M P I O N OVER, H A C K L SMILED A N D CLAPPED,
their shoulders. "This second place is where 1 belong," said H a c k l , " A r m i n is r i g h t b e h i n d me. A n d it's
a p i t y that Markus Prock is once more b e h i n d me at the O l y m p i c s . "
Prock, a 37-year-old corporal in the Austrian army, announced after the race that it had been
not
FOR H I S SILVER BUT FOR A N O T H E R M A N ' S G O L D .
his last, closing the door on an illustrious career—one that spanned six O l y m p i c W i n t e r Games and
netted h i m three O l y m p i c medals and 11 w o r l d championship medals. H a c k l , w h o has designed and
built all of his sleds since the age of 16, said he w o u l d race for one more year and then see h o w he
felt about c o n t i n u i n g . A n d then he tearfully dedicated the silver medal to his father, w h o died of a
heait attack in December, 2001, just after w a t c h i n g his son w i n a race in Kônigssee, Germany, where
H a c k l fell in love w i t h the sport at the age of 12.
There were others, of course, w h o had fallen in love w i t h the sport, and missing a medal c o u l d
hardly dampen their aidor or their courage. Patrick Singelton, the lone representative from Bermuda,
crashed on his second run, r i p p i n g his suit, and had the tenacity to complete the race wearing a suit
b o r r o w e d f r o m the Latvian team. W e r n e r Hoeger, 48, and C h r i s t o p h e r Hoeger, 17, c o m p e t e d for
Venezuela. A university professor and a h i g h school h o n o r student, they were the first father and son
to compete in the same event in O l y m p i c luge history. A n d American A d a m H e i d t t h r i l l e d the home
c r o w d — a n d h i m s e l f — w i t h a s u r p r i s i n g f o u r t h - p l a c e finish, the best singles s h o w i n g ever for an
American. H i s response echoed the attitude of nearly every slider. Said H e i d t : "I just had a great time."
But the unexpected moments p r o v e d equally as e x c i t i n g and, at times, tense, as the race for
the gold. Venezuelan Iginia Boccalandro, 41, lost c o n t r o l c o m i n g out of a turn d u r i n g the first run and
h i t the w a l l hard. K n o c k e d unconscious and t h r o w n f r o m her sled, she c o n t i n u e d to slide, m o t i o n less, d o w n the track. After 30 yards, she regained consciousness, and paramedics led her off the track.
She was bruised, b u t otherwise was fine. She announced her retirement f r o m the sport immediately
after the race.
A n o t h e r luge veteran, A n n e Abernathy, drew some of the loudest cheers of the c o m p e t i t i o n ,
even w i t h a 2 6 t h — t h i r d to last—place finish. T h e 48-year-old c r o w d favorite f r o m the U.S. V i r g i n
Islands smiled and waved to shouts of "Grandma Luge!" H e r teammate D i n a h Browne, the first black
w o m a n t o compete in O l y m p i c luge, finished in last place, but y o u w o u l d never k n o w f r o m the l o o k
o n her face afterward. " M y first O l y m p i c s , and I can't stop smiling!" she said.
Angelika N e u n e r finished 1.297 seconds—an e t e r n i t y in l u g e — b e h i n d the b r o n z e medalist.
Fourth place is a position of anguish for most athletes. But for Neuner, given the c o m p e t i t i o n on this
day, it was enough.
W O M E N ' S
S I N G L E S
W h e n asked h a l f w a y t h r o u g h the c o m p e t i t i o n if the German team c o u l d be t o p p l e d — a team
that had w o n the previous 33 W o r l d Gup races—American slider Becky W i l c z a k proclaimed that "anyt h i n g can happen. I've never slid o n the track w i t h a c r o w d like this." In that c r o w d , there was one
W i l c z a k finished fifth. But w h i l e her father didn't see her w i n a medal, a compatible donor was
f o u n d shortly after the Games. H e u n d e r w e n t a successful liver transplant, p r o v i n g that as his daughter had said in February 2002, really, a n y t h i n g can happen.
In a sport that demands the ultimate precision, h u r t l i n g d o w n an icy mountainside at 75 miles
per hour w i t h another person o n board is a nerve-racking task. T h e athletes train together constantly
and share t o g e t h e r the t h r i l l of the sport. Some even share the same name: A t the Salt Lake 2002
Games, first cousins Tobias and Markus Schiegl of Austria raced o n one sled, as d i d fellow Austrians
Andreas and W o l f g a n g Linger, brothers.
But w i t h nearly 500 pounds of mass t r y i n g to negotiate turns and l o o k i n g for a few precious
fractions of a second, doubles teams also share the inevitable crashes. Take Germany's Alexander Resch
and Patrie Leitner, b o t h soldiers w h o were training h a p p i l y — a n d fairly safely—as singles lugers w h e n
a nearby coach noticed them standing together. T h e i r physical matchup seemed aerodynamically perfect: the smaller, lighter Resch c o u l d be in the back of the sled w h i l e Leitner, at 6 feet, 2 inches and
196 pounds, c o u l d provide the necessary momentum. But w h e n they began practicing together, Resch
and Leitner were so out of co n tr o l , and crashed so often, they were nicknamed the F l y i n g Bavarians.
O n February 15, it proved to be an apt moniker, as the Germans flew to the doubles g o l d w i t h
a time of 1:26.082 after four runs. A n d even w i t h the potential of crashing in front of 15,000 fans, the
lugers h a r d l y felt any jitters just before the race. Said Resch: \(/e t h o u g h t like we always do in traini n g and said, 'Let's h o p on the luge and do our t h i n g . ' "
T h e Americans weren't quite so cavalier. "1 have to admit to b e i n g a little nervous this morning, said Brian M a r t i n after the race. H e began racing after seeing a newspaper article on street luge
and t h i n k i n g it m i g h t be a fun t h i n g to do for an afternoon. Fourteen years and many, many afternoons later, he found himself as the new Salt Lake 2002 doubles silver medalist, h a vi n g earned a total
time of 1:26.216 w i t h teammate M a r k G r i m m e t t e .
2
33
"I've never been more nervous in m y life, and 1 don't t h i n k 1 c o u l d ever be that nervous again,"
said fellow American Chris T h o r p e , w h o slid to the bronze w i t h C l a y Ives. T h e anxieties hit h i m duri n g the second run. "In 17 years of sliding, I've never felt that m u c h e m o t i o n or stimulus on the sled,"
he said. "Just b o m b i n g d o w n the b o t t o m part of the course, I felt like we c o u l d barely h o l d it together,
I t h o u g h t we m i g h t break apart."
In the b r o t h e r h o o d of doubles luge, that seemed nearly impossible.
Luhomir
E
Mick
L
I
and Walter
S
A
B
E
Marx
T
H
of Slovakia
O
'
compete in the doubles event.
D
O
N
N
E
L
L
235
A solitary
athlete prepares to propel himself down the track.
have been Shiva
Keshavan,
India's one representative
One of the most solitary
lugers may
at the Salt Lake 2002 Games. Keshavan
Cousins
he<jan the sport after attending
way
down the track.
a "luge on wheels" camp when he was 15. "I remember laughing
Even more fun
than that was the first
time I crashed,"
Tobias and Markus
Schiegl of Austria
H
U
E
They would
place sixth.
he said.
T
J O H N
train for the doubles competition.
all the
I
B
O
R
N
E
M
E
T
H
T
2
36
"I never believed that fools
like us could win the gold medal at the Olympics."and Alexander
T
Accidents
1
B
0
R
happen in luge. At Utah
returned with a borrowed
N
Olympic
E
M
E
T
H
(
Bermuda's Patrick
friend.
H U E T
L
E
after losing control
(
A
B
F
Singelton
Two days later, Iginia
thrown from her sled and knocked unconscious
J O H N
Patrie
Leitner after he
Resch won the luge doubles gold.
Park,
outfit from a Latvian
Germany's
O
V
T
)
crashed, ripped his suit and
Boccalandro
during
E
of Venezuela was
her first
run.
)
2
39
;
,
"I've seen athletes from
is a microcosm
Sarajevo
of the world.
dodge bullets to get on an airplane
It brings the world
in order to go and train.
together in the spirit
of sportsmanship,
The Olympics
competition
Anders Soderherg and Bentft Walden
and in games. Which
is what this is. It's a game. It should be fun."
of the U.S.
Virgin
Islands,
- Five-time
known as "Grandma
Olympian
Luge," above.
E
A N D Y
A
N
D
E
R
S
of Sweden race in the doubles event.
Anne Abernathy
O
L
I
S
A
B
E
T
H
O
'
D
O
N
N
E
L
L
N
L
"This
is a very huge atmosphere with all the spectators shouting
2
40
the track."
R
A
Y
M
- Karsten Albert,
O
N
D
M
as we drive down
2
4i
Germany.
E
E
K
S
?
2
243
42
I m not looking
islands to join
to win medals. What
I'm trying
to do is encourage young
the sport and to learn something from me." - U.S.
Virgin
Islands
kids from
luger Dinah
the
Browne,
A Canadian
team readies for the 17 curves and 43<8 icy feet between this moment and the finish
line.
who placed last in the women's singles
T
T
I
B
O
R
N
E
M
E
T
I
B
O
R
N
E
M
E
T
H
H
li
*
Resembling giant
beetles, luge sleds are strictly
increase speed, heating
monitored.
the runners is prohibited.
Officials
Because doing so would
check the weight of the sled
and the temperature of the runners at the start of each race.
T
I
B
O
R
N
E
M
E
T
H
C U R L I N G
•
I T WAS A S C H O O L N I G H T
V I L L A G E OE D U N L O P ,
8-YEAR-01 D
SCOTLAND,
JENNIEER
MARTIN
BUT O N
AND
IN TH E TINY
247
FEBRUARY 2 1 ,
HER
5-YEAR-OLD
B R O T H E R A N D R E W WERE A L L O W E D T O STAY UP PAST M I D NIGHT.
THEY
WERE A M O N G
I N THE U N I T E D
THE
KINGDOM WHO
5.6
M I L L I O N VIEWERS
SAT T R A N S E I X E D BEEORE
T H E I R T E L E V I S I O N S T O SEE IE J E N N I E E R A N D A N D R E W ' S
MOTHER, RHONA, AND
HER CURLING TEAMMATES W O U L D
"VMeM you are playing
— Norway's
MAKE
SPORTS
HISTORY
EOR
GREAT
BRITAIN.
'
FLVE
in the Olympics,
you are not allowed to think its over. I just cant give up.
skip, Pal Trulsen. Norway
plays Canada for the gold medal, above.
L O G A N
T H O U S A N D MILES AWAY, AT T H E ICE SHEET AT O C D E N , T H E
years. T h e y were instant celebrities, congratulated b y Prince Charles and Scotland s first minister, Jack
score was 3 - 3 in the women's gold-medal m a t c h between Great Britain and Switzerland. It was the
M c C o n n e l l , and i n v i t e d to E d i n b u r g h Castle. T h e y inspired a country. Those w h o hadn't k n o w n the
last round, and Switzerland's Luzia Ebnoether had t h r o w n her team's last stone. Rhona Martin's hamdifference between a h o g line and a hack h e l d their heads a l i t t l e h i g h e r because five w o m e n gave
mer shot w o u l d end the m a t c h and decide the gold. She stepped i n t o the hack t o push off for the
Great Britain i n t e r n a t i o n a l b r a g g i n g rights. For Scotland, w h e r e the sport o r i g i n a t e d in the early
delivery and swiped at the b o t t o m of the 42-pound granite stone, like a ballplayer k n o c k i n g m u d f r o m
1500s, the v i c t o r y b y the all-Scottish team was especially sweet.
her cleats. T h e n , g l i d i n g along the pebbled ice in a p r o l o n g e d genuflection, she d e f t l y released the
stone w i t h a subtle twist of the wrist. T h e stands w e n t quiet. Rhona's husband, sitting w i t h their chilM E N ' S
dren in D u n l o p , couldn't look.
T
O
U
R
N
A
M
E
N
T
•
If the lingering image of the women's tournament is of a team that k n e w h o w to w i n , the highl i g h t of the men's is of a team that k n e w h o w to lose. By February 22, Sweden s Peja L i n d h o l m , Tomas
M o m e n t s like these are w h a t earn c u r l i n g its spot alongside d o w n h i l l and luge and speed skatN o r d i n , Magnus Swartling, Peter N a r u p and alternate Anders Kraupp had advanced to the bronzei n g at the O l y m p i c W i n t e r Games. M o m e n t s like these w h e n v i c t o r y is lost in a heartbeat, w h e n skill
medal match. T h e y envisioned a place o n the p o d i u m and were t h r i l l e d . As the m a t c h progressed,
and strategy c o u n t m o r e t h a n b r a w n or bravery. T h e r e were hundreds of such moments d u r i n g the
however, this vision began to fade. Switzerland, the defending champions w h o lost 7 - 6 to N o r w a y in
Salt Lake 2002 c u r l i n g tournaments. Each was a t h r i l l i n g progression of surprises and upsets,- each was
a showcase of grace and dignity.
W O M E N ' S
k n o c k e d the Swedish stones out of the house. L i n d h o l m had o n l y one chance to score points: b y land-
A l t h o u g h a s t r o n g contender a l o n g w i t h Switzerland, Great Britain almost didn't make it to
T O U R N A M E N T
the semifinals, was equally determined to medal. In the e i g h t h end, Swiss captain Andreas Schwaller
i n g his stone in the center of the house.
It didn't land there. T h e stone just kept going, past the b u t t o n . A n d w i t h it vanished Sweden s
the gold-medal match w h e n it lost to Germany in an earlier game. A n d then there was heavily favored
Canada, where c u r l i n g champions approach r o y a l t y status. O n February 11, the Ice Sheet at O g d e n
hosted a traditional o p e n i n g ceremony, d u r i n g w h i c h Canada's "Queen of Curling," Sandra Schmirler,
was remembered. She had led her team t o the first-ever O l y m p i c g o l d in c u r l i n g at Nagano 1998 and
d i e d of breast cancer t w o years later. H e r c o u n t r y w o m e n h o p e d to carry o n her legacy w i t h another
vision of victory.
Early in the next and final end, L i n d h o l m was to deliver again. Focused o n the other side of
the ice sheet 146 feet away, L i n d h o l m pushed off for the delivery. But instead of releasing the stone,
he just kept going. In an unheard of and illegal move, he g l i d e d past the line, still c l u t c h i n g the stone.
Spectators laughed and w a t c h e d in amazement as, d o w n the centerline, he slid all the way to the end
victory. As M a r c i a Gudereit, one of Schmirler's former teammates, explained, " W i t h curling, every2
of the ice sheet, never l e t t i n g go of his grip.
2
one expects Canada to w i n a g o l d medal."
48
49
T h e match was over. In this graceful and lighthearted m o m e n t , a classic m o m e n t of O l y m p i c
T h e pressure o n Canada helps explain w h y the team h i r e d a psychologist, in a d d i t i o n t o a
sportsmanship, L i n d h o l m had conceded. H e placed his stone in the center of the house and congratnutritionist and personal trainers. But w h i l e the Canadian w o m e n were able to slide i n t o the semifinals,
ulated Switzerland. "1 saw m y sweepers," L i n d h o l m said after the match. T h e y were very sad,- they
thanks t o w i n n i n g e i g h t of nine r o u n d - r o b i n matches, t h e y lost i n a dramatic 6 - 5 upset b y Great
were almost crying. W e w i l l remember this O l y m p i c s . A n d its not a great m e m o r y to cry at the end.
Britain. Kelley Law and teammates Julie Skinner, Georgina W h e a t c r o f t and Diane Nelson, w i t h C h e r y l
N o b l e as alternate, were stunned and subdued. T h e o n l y hope was for t h i r d p l a c e — u n t h i n k a b l e .
It's better to have a g o o d laugh. So 1 d i d it for the team."
Canada, too, was b e g i n n i n g to f o r m its o w n great m e m o r y of the Games: a g o l d medal. T h e
But Law soon had a change of heart. "1 talked to m y 10-year-old son and he said, 'You know, it's
w o m e n had missed, but K e v i n M a r t i n , Carter R y c r o f t , D o n W a l c h u k and D o n Bartlett, w i t h K e n
just nice that you're at the Olympics, M o m . I lost all m y soccer games this year, like every single one. So
Tralenberg as alternate, still had a shot. O n February 22, the d e f e n d i n g silver-medal winners faced
it's great just to be there. You don't need to b r i n g a medal home.' A n d I just started to cry. I thought, 1
Norway, the defending bronze medalists from the Nagano 1998 O l y m p i c W i n t e r Games, for the gold.
need to b r i n g a bronze home for that little guy." Suddenly, a bronze O l y m p i c medal l o o k e d pretty g o o d
T h e m o o d inside the Ice Sheet at O g d e n was intense. A hush had fallen over the c r o w d , and
to the team. A n d they went after it w i t h a vengeance, defeating the U.S. women's team 9 - 5 .
the o n l y sounds were of the stones c l i c k i n g and of the captain's orders to "sweep! sweep! sweep!" as
N o r w a y t o o k the lead, 3 - 0 , in the f o u r t h end. Canada fought back, and b y the n i n t h end, the score
THOSE W H O
HADN'T
K N O W N THE
D I E E E R E N C E BETWEEN
was tied, 5 - 5 . Norway's last rock, t h r o w n b y Pal Trulsen, landed in the outer lip of the blue scoring
area. So, it w o u l d be silver, it seemed, for Trulsen, Lars Vâgberg, F l e m m i n g Davanger, Bent A n u n d
Ramsfjell and alternate Torger Nergârd. N o stones b l o c k e d the lane for Canadas M a r t i n , w h o w o u l d
A HOG
LINE A N D
A HACK HELD T H E I R
HEADS
HIGHER.
t h r o w the final stone of the game. H e just had to deliver a clean shot to take the gold. A n d M a r t i n
had played this type of shot thousands of times.
T h e stone slid d o w n the ice. It l o o k e d heavy, t o o fast. A n d as the stone slowed to a stop, it
Great Britain, meanwhile, was equally stunned b y its v i c t o r y over Canada and its place in the
gold-medal round. T h e team had struggled to stay strong in the standings, but here the w o m e n were,
was t o o wide. N o r w a y h a d w o n , 6 - 5 .
It was a classic c u r l i n g match. Sweden s L i n d h o l m summed it up best. T h e difference between
facing d o w n Switzerland, w i t h the shot of a lifetime, as their c h i l d r e n w a t c h e d f r o m across the sea.
Rhona Martin's stone slowly slid i n t o place, n u d g i n g a hair closer to the b u t t o n (the bull's eye)
disaster and success is very, very small," he said. You have to be humble.
than the stones played b y Switzerland. It was enough. Great Britain had w o n the gold! Debbie K n o x ,
Fiona M a c D o n a l d , Janice Rankin and alternate Margaret M o r t o n j u m p e d up and d o w n w h i l e the fans
shot f r o m th e i r seats. These Scottish w o m e n had earned the country's first w i n t e r g o l d in nearly 20
'It's pool, it's a boxing
A curler warms up for a round-robin
match on February
15.
try to hit it just like a pool hall. [Like]
battle, it's a fighting
D
A
V
I
D
B
U
R
N
E
T
match, it's chess. In pool, there are so many angles out there. We'll pick a spot, and we 11
match."
chess, we're strategically
- M y l c s Brundidge
(left, with Mike
playing
rocks to hit later on. It's a
Schneeherger],
United
States of America
T
D
A
V
I
D
B
U
R
N
E
T
T
1
Enthusiastic
jorget
Jans cheered curlers through
it," said Canadian
E
12 days of competition.
bronze medalist Kelley
L
I
S
A
B
E
T
H
Law.
"We've had the best time and we'll never, ever
"The people of Salt Lake City
O
'
D
O
N
N
E
L
have been wonderful."
L
253
France's
Dominique
DuPont
Roc,
against
D
skip, shouts encouragement
the United
A
V
I
D
to his teammates during
States of America
B
U
R
on February
N
E
T
a round-robin
match
15.
T
"A shot takes about 25 seconds. In that 25 seconds, you may have an average of 10 pieces
Norway
defeated Germany
10—5 on February
16. Germany's
skip, an ailing
of communication
Sebastian
Stock, shown at right,
left the match at the conclusion
that you have to get across to each other. If you don t get it in those
of the seventh end. Germany
25 seconds, then you can make the wrong decisions. Its those margins
opted to play
between a winning
E
L
I
S
A
B
that make the difference
with three men instead of using an alternate.
E
T
H
O
D
O
N
N
E
L
and a losing team.
—Lisa Richardson,
Denmark
L
T
I
B
O
R
N
E
M
E
T
H
Curlers compete in the semifinals
of the men's tournament
on February
20.
Canada
advanced
to the gold medal match, but then was defeated by Norway.
team," said Canada's
A
L
B
E
R
Don
T
Walchuk.
C
O
"I'm not going
L
A
N
T
We lost to a great
to hang my head."
O
N
I
O
With
a nod to curling's
Scottish
roots, the Salt Lake Scots bagpipers escorted in
teams each day of competition
A
L
B
E
R
T
C
O
at the Ice Sheet at Ocjden.
L
A
N
T
O
N
I
O
I
I T WAS A FAST, F U R I O U S A N D
PHYSICAL GAME, AT T I M E S O V E R W H E L M I N G EVEN T H E M O S T
S E A S O N E D PLAYERS I N T W O
EMOTIONAL TOURNAMENTS.
EVERY S E C O N D C O U N T E D ; O N E MISTAKE C O U L D COST THE
GAME. W I N N I N G
R E O U I R E D TRUST OF TEAMMATES, RESPECT
FOR T H E O P P O N E N T A N D U N W A V E R I N G PASSION. " T H E TEAM
W I T H T H E BIGGEST HEART W I L L W I N , " P R E D I C T E D S W E D I S H
Switzerland
FORWARD ERIKA HOLST.
' T H E M E N ' S T O U R N A M E N T WAS
WITH
NATIONAL
HOCKEY
LEAGUE ( N H L )
round.
"No one knows what the next two weeks hold and that's the beauty of it. When everything s
at stake, you see what you are made oj and that s really what the Olympic
—athletes
D O M I N A T E D BY T H E "BIG SIX" H O C K E Y C O U N T R I E S , PACKED
practices before the men's preliminary
showing up when they have to."-Cammi
I
A
N
L
O
Granato,
G
A
Spirit is
United States oj America
N
PLAYERS; T H E
Burina scored t w o goals less than eight minutes i n t o the game, and f o r w a r d Tatiana Tsareva scored
women's b y the undefeated forces of the U n i t e d States and Canada. T h e rest of the pack, however,
one more in the second period.
w a s n t p l a n n i n g to h o l d back. W e ve got n o t h i n g to lose," said German f o r w a r d Jan Benda. "We can
G e r m a n y had earned this o p p o r t u n i t y b y e d g i n g out C h i n a in the preliminary r o u n d w i t h an
o n l y make a g o o d i m p r e s s i o n , and that's w h a t we're here for." T h e r e w e r e l o p s i d e d losses and
e x c i t i n g three-goal comeback in the t h i r d p e r i o d t o tie the game 5 - 5 . D u r i n g the fifth-place game,
unbelievable upsets, every m o m e n t packed w i t h a pure love of hockey.
the Germans again came alive i n the t h i r d p e r i o d , b u t against the m o r e physical and d e t e r m i n e d
Russians, it was t o o little, t o o late. T h e Russians scored t w o more goals to w i n 5 - 0 . "We put all the
O n February 8, G a m m i Granato, captain of the U.S. women's team, c l i m b e d the steps at Rice-
e f f o r t we could. W e were fighting our best," said Russias Tsareva.
Eccles O l y m p i c S t a d i u m , c a r r y i n g the O l y m p i c Flame t o w a r d t h e G a u l d r o n at t h e O p e n i n g
Ceremony. For her colleagues w a t c h i n g f r o m the stands, it was an extraordinary m o m e n t that represented the progress of women's ice hockey. T h e sight transcended nationalism and even the b i t t e r
BRONZE
.
M t U A L
F i n l a n d h a d seven b r o n z e m e d a l s — o n e f r o m the N a g a n o Games and six m o r e f r o m w o r l d
championships. A t the Salt Lake 2002 Games, the players were determined to play in the gold-medal
rivalry between the American and Canadian women's teams. "I was really happy for her," said Canadian
game. T h e y came close. In the semifinal game against Canada, F i n l a n d led 3 - 2 early i n the t h i r d
L o r i Dupuis. It was really g o o d for women's hockey."
period. But Canada came back and dominated, scoring five goals in the t h i r d period. Finland lost 3 - 7 .
It had not been an easy journey. M o s t of these w o m e n had g r o w n up p l a y i n g on boy's teams,
T h e Finns w o u l d play Sweden, a team they h a d beaten seven times that season, for the bronze medal.
c h a n g i n g in makeshift locker rooms, h a v i n g to w o r k twice as hard to prove themselves. N o w here
Sweden's preseason record, meanwhile, was so dismal ( 0 - 1 8 b y m i d - D e c e m b e r 2001) that the
they were, c o m p e t i n g in the second women's ice h o c k e y tournament in the history of the O l y m p i c
Swedish O l y m p i c C o m m i t t e e had p u b l i c l y threatened to not send the team t o Salt Lake C i t y , and
W i n t e r Games. A c c u s t o m e d to p l a y i n g before a small g r o u p of f a m i l y and friends, t h e y were n o w
w a i t e d a m o n t h before officially g i v i n g the green light. Sweden also had one of the youngest and least
c o m p e t i n g in arenas packed w i t h up to 10,000 people, their games broadcast on national television
experienced teams in the t o u r n a m e n t ( o n l y five players were older than 25). But t w o of the teams
back home. W h a t every female player h o p e d was that a g o o d performance w o u l d inspire y o u n g girls
youngest players became the stars of the b r o n z e - m e d a l game. Evelina Samuelsson, 17, k n o c k e d in
in their c o u n t r y to play hockey. O n l y then w o u l d the sport reach its potential.
t w o goals in the first p e r i o d and 15-year-old rookie goaltender K i m M a r t i n b l o c k e d 32 of Finlands
D u r i n g the preliminary round, the eight teams were divided into t w o groups of four and played
a r o u n d - r o b i n (teams in each group played each o t h e r once). T h e U n i t e d States served up doubled i g i t losses to G e r m a n y and China, as Canada d i d to Sweden. N o team was able to score on Canada,
and the U.S. team gave up o n l y one goal, to China. T h e gap between the elite N o r t h American teams
" T H E R E WAS N O WAY WE C O U L D
LOSE T H I S G A M E . T H E
and the rest of the chasing pack reflected the wide disparity in funding, training time and most important, number of players. Canada had 50,000 girls and w o m e n p l a y i n g hockey,- C h i n a had 100.
But to assume this tournament was o n l y about Canada, the U n i t e d States and the g o l d medal
REGRET W O U L D HAVE R E M A I N E D I N O U R HEARES FOREVER.
was to miss the essence and some of the most e x c i t i n g moments of women's ice hockey.
33 shots. In the final minutes, Finland, d o w n 1 - 2 , tried desperately to tie the game, peppering M a r t i n
w i t h shots, but to no avail. W h e n the clock ran out, the team piled o n M a r t i n , the youngest Swede
T h i s was a final chance at r e d e m p t i o n after a relentless tournament, a chance to avoid return-
ever t o w i n an O l y m p i c medal. A g a i n s t t o u g h odds, Sweden h a d w o n its first medal i n w o m e n s
i n g home w i t h last place. T h e Kazakhstan team, making its O l y m p i c debut, had lost every single game
hockey. "It's huge. I can't find the words . . . I'm just so happy," said Anna Andersson. " A n d for w o m e n s
and scored o n l y one goal. C h i n a had taken home f o u r t h place f r o m Nagano, had been on the road
h o c k e y in Sweden, I t h i n k it means a lot. I just hope that some more girls w i l l start playing."
since January and hadn't w o n a game. T h e players were exhausted.
C h i n a protected a one-goal lead for almost the entire game, u n t i l Kazakhstan slipped one past
goalkeeper H o n g G u o , to tie the game 1—1. T h e final t w o minutes were intense as C h i n a received
t w o successive penalties, g i v i n g Kazakhstan a t w o - p l a y e r advantage and several scoring o p p o r t u n i ties. But G u o , called the Great W a l l of China, made great saves and sent the game i n t o overtime. A
minute and a half i n t o overtime, H o n g m e i Liu, the team captain, scored the g a m e - w i n n i n g goal and
secuied the seventh-place w i n for China. "There was no way we could lose this game," said Guo. "The
regret w o u l d have remained in our hearts forever."
For Canada and the U n i t e d States, it was g o l d or n o t h i n g and the rivalry was intense. "We re
G O L D
M E D A L
•
out to w i n the g o l d medal," said Canadian defender C h e r y l Pounder. "There are no friends in that."
Canada had w o n all seven w o r l d championships, but the 1 - 3 loss to the U n i t e d States in Nagano h a d
haunted the team for four years. Team U S A , meanwhile, boasted an untouchable record of 3 5 - 0 f r o m
t h e season, i n c l u d i n g an u n p r e c e d e n t e d 8 - 0 r e c o r d i n e x h i b i t i o n games against C a n a d a . T h e
Americans were the o v e r w h e l m i n g favorites, the defending gold-medal champions w i t h the hometeam advantage, and the Canadians h o p e d they w o u l d crack under all that pressure.
Russia's and Germany's teams were b o t h p l a y i n g in the O l y m p i c W i n t e r Games for the first
time. T h e German players were excited to be p l a y i n g for fifth, but the Russian team, h a v i n g w o n the
bronze in the 2001 w o r l d championship, had hoped for more. Russia's first game of the tournament
was a d i s a p p o i n t i n g 2 - 3 loss t o Sweden, w h i c h dashed its medal hopes. "We are g o i n g to f i g h t for
fifth place as if it were first," said Russian goalie Irina Gachennikova. A n d they did. Forward Tatiana
T h e first fissure appeared just t w o minutes i n t o the game, w h e n Canadian Caroline O u e l l e t t e
scored. "We w a n t e d to get the first goal and put t h e m back on their heels, and we d i d that," Ouellette
said later. T h e Canadians' relentless defense prevented the Americans f r o m scoring u n t i l the second
period, w h e n American Katie K i n g tied the game 1 - 1 , o n l y to be answered minutes later b y H a y l e y
W i c k e n h e i s e r ( k n o w n in Canada as the female W a y n e G r e t z k y ) , w h o scored another for Canada.
W i t h one second left in the second period, Canadian Jayna FJefford grabbed a b o u n c i n g puck w i t h
,
F
goal, giving the Canadians a 3 - 1 lead and a psychological advantage, from w h i c h the Americans could
Q U A R T E R F I N A L S
N
A
L
.
Russia, 1-8 to Finland and 1-8 to the United States. But Belarus had one more chance at the semifinals,
by defeating Sweden. "Sometimes even a gun w i t h o u t the bullet shoots," said Belarusian Andrei Mezin.
never recover. "It was a huge goal," said Canada's Tammy Lee Shewchuk.
American Karyn Bye scored w i t h less than four minutes left in the game, narrowing Canada's
Sweden was undefeated after three games, beating Canada 5 - 2 , the Czech Republic 2 - 1 and
lead to one. T h e c r o w d cheered w i l d l y as the Americans t r i e d desperately to tie the game, but
Germany 7 - 1 . M a n y attributed these victories to the team's "big ice" strategy, w h i c h Swedish coach
Canada's exceptional g o a l t e n d i n g — K i m St, Pierre finished w i t h 25 saves—and penalty k i l l i n g had
F-lardy Nilsson described. " W h a t we want to do is keep the puck in the team and create a lot of ice
dominated the game. Thirteen penalties were called against the Canadians, eight of them in a row,
to play on," said Nilsson, "and that's w h y our forwards are g o i n g to the offensive blue line. W e keep
yet they prevented the Americans from scoring on all but t w o of them.
the puck in the team and have fun."
A n d it was precisely this strategy that almost guaranteed Sweden another w i n against Belarus.
" W i t h five seconds to go, I actually had to look up at the clock, because 1 couldn't believe it
was really happening. It was like a dream," said Canada's Lori Dupuis. Canada had won. T h e ice was
But Belarus was focused and broke up the Swedish offense. Taking shots whenever it had the chance,
soon littered w i t h gloves, sticks and helmets as the Canadian players piled on St. Pierre and celebrated
the team also had a bit of luck. Outshot 4 7 - 1 9 , Belarus goalie Andrei M e z i n made 44 saves. "This was
the w i n they had been w o r k i n g toward every day for the past four years.
the biggest game of my career for sure," he said. " H o w can it be bigger than the O l y m p i c s against all
T h e Americans quietly endured the celebration from their bench. "It's definitely heartbreak-
NHL players?" T h e game was tied 3 - 3 , and it was late in the t h i r d period. Suddenly, Belarus' V l a d i m i r
ing, said Natalie D a r w i t z , an 18-year-old rookie, and one of the tournament's leading scorers. "But
Kopat flew d o w n the right side and launched a blast from the neutral zone. T h e puck h i t Swedish
w e r e not hanging our heads. A l l 20 players gave it their all. W e left everything out on the ice." T h e y
goalie T o m m y Salo's glove and bobbled up and off of his head. Seemingly in slow m o t i o n , the puck
accepted the silver medals graciously, but many, especially the veterans, couldn't h o l d back tears of
dribbled over his shoulder. Salo leaned forward, desperately h o p i n g it w o u l d come to rest on his back,
disappointment. "It's tough. 1 k n o w what they're g o i n g through," said Canadian V i c k y Sunohara, a
but it was too late. T h e puck had already crossed the goal line, and Belarus w o n the game, 4 - 3 .
T h e upset put every team, including Canada, on edge. H a n d p i c k e d by executive director and
Nagano veteran. "The medals are beautiful, but not the right color."
T h i s time the medal was the right color for the Canadians. As the players lined up to receive
hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, the team had not only lost to Sweden, but had barely squeaked past
Canada's first g o l d medal in O l y m p i c hockey in 50 years, they embraced each other, laughed and
Germany, 3 - 2 , and tied the Czech Republic, 3 - 3 . In its quarterfinal game, the team came together to
cried. "I looked d o w n the line and saw my teammates getting their gold medals," said Jennifer Botterill,
defeat Finland, 2 - 1 .
2
64
After enjoying success in the preliminary round, Belarus lost three times in the final round: 4 - 6 to
/
R O U N D
her glove, dropped it on the ice and scored. It turned out to be the back-breaking and game-winning
In the other t w o quarterfinal games, Russia narrowly defeated the Czech Republic, defending
"It felt like a moment I've dreamt about m y whole life."
gold medalists, 0 - 1 , and the U n i t e d States beat Germany, 5 - 0 . Belarus, Canada, Russia and the U n i t e d
M E N ' S
T
O
U
R
N
A
M
E
N
T
•
States w o u l d advance to the semifinals.
W h i l e many of the female ice hockey players saw the Salt Lake 2002 Cames as a way to promote their sport, the tournament was yet another part of a busy hockey career for many of the men,
w h o are paid—substantially—to play professional hockey. As the Games began, the top players were
s
E M
, F ,
N
A
L
s
.
In the first semifinal game, Belarus faced Canada. T h e u n d e r d o g w i t h n o t h i n g to lose, the
still c o m p e t i n g in the NHL W h e t h e r paid to play or not, however, all share a passion for the sport. "1
Belarus team members played w i t h everything they had. T h e y had hope when Canada was ahead only
love everything about hockey," said M a r t i n Havlat of the Czech Republic. "It's my life, it's what I've
2 - 1 after the first period. But the Canadians soon came back to d o m i n a t e — w i t h skillful puck control,
been d o i n g since 1 was 5. I love to compete, just go out there and compete against anybody."
fast skating and sharp shooting. Canada w o n , 7 - 1 , and advanced to the gold-medal game, while the
Belarusians turned their thoughts to bronze.
T h e tournament began w i t h a preliminary round. As the spotlight shined on the world's six
best teams
In the second semifinal, it was Russia and the U n i t e d States. T h e game was played exactly 22
the Czech Republic, Russia, Finland, Canada, Sweden and the U n i t e d States, w h i c h had
already qualified to play in the final round—eight other countries battled it out for one of two coveted
years to the day after the famed "Miracle o n Ice" game at the Lake Placid 1980 Games, w h e n the
spots in the finals. W i t h many of these teams missing their top players, w h o were playing in the NHL
U n i t e d States beat the Soviet U n i o n , 4 - 3 , and inspired many children to begin playing hockey. U.S.
until the season suspension on February 14, the odds of advancing were even tougher. Slovakia, for
coach H e r b Brooks, w h o had also coached the 1980 team, was n o w back b e h i n d the bench. But b o t h
instance, was an early favorite to w i n p o o l A, but w i t h fewer players per game struggled to pull
sides were less c o n c e r n e d w i t h h i s t o r y t h a n t h e y were w i t h the future: the g o l d - m e d a l game on
together as a team. Cermany, meanwhile, played almost-perfect defense, fending off competitors while
February 24. "There's n o t h i n g ever g o i n g to be like that again," said U.S. forward Bill Guerin. But to
taking advantage of opponents' mistakes to score. "Very low chances for us," said German defense-
say that it's less important to us is crazy. We're all O l y m p i c athletes, we all want to grab the gold.
To observers, the U n i t e d States seemed to control the game in the first two periods, leading 3 - 0
man Christian Ehrhoff before the tournament began. "But we w i l l try our best. W e are a well-balanced
while outshooting Russia 38-11. Russian coach Vyacheslav Fetisov, however, blamed the Canadian
team and we are hard workers, and that's what our game is all about."
referee for favoring his fellow N o r t h Americans, a complaint dismissed by the International Ice Hockey
T h e i r efforts paid off: Germany relied heavily on its defense and swept all three of its games,
making the final round. In pool B, Belarus lost one game, to Switzerland, but managed to defeat the
Federation. D u r i n g the t h i r d period, Russia came back to score t w o goals, but it was too late. W h e n
Ukraine ( 1 - 0 ) and France ( 3 - 1 ) for the spot in the finals. "I've got a feeling, maybe," foreshadowed
the d o c k ran out, the U n i t e d States had w o n 3-2, and prepared to face Canada for the gold.
Belarusian Alexander Z h u r i k . We can do something more than just play."
B R O N Z E
M E D A L
W i t h 11 O l y m p i c medals (some as the Soviet U n i o n ) , including four straight golds from 1964
to 1976 and silver in 1998, Russia was still dragging from its loss to the U n i t e d States. O n c e again,
there was a flicker of hope for Belarus, w h e n the team tied the February 23 game at 2 - 2 early in the
second period. T h e n , Russia's O l e g T v e r d o v s k y and Pavel Datsyuk scored 23 seconds apart, f o l l o w e d
b y three more goals. Russia was d e t e r m i n e d to go h o m e w i t h something, and charged Belarus for a
7 - 2 v i c t o r y to take the bronze. "We k n e w that we had to concentrate a lot to w i n this game," said
Russian goalkeeper N i k o l a i K h a b i b u l i n . " N o b o d y gave us these bronze medals for free."
O n February 2 4 , t h e last day of the Games and j u st hours before the d o s i n g C e r e m o n y ,
Canada and USA played in one of the most anticipated h o c k e y games of all time. Each team felt the
w e i g h t of a nation on its back: Canada had not w o n O l y m p i c g o l d in men's h o c k e y since 1952, w h i l e
the U n i t e d States had not w o n a medal of any c o l o r for 2 2 years. USA had also not lost an O l y m p i c
h o c k e y game on h o m e ice in 7 0 years—at the Lake Placid 1 9 3 2 Games. "As soon as we strapped on
the skates w h e n w e were y o u n g kids, it's been a goal of ours to beat the Canadians," said A m e r i c a n
defenseman T o m Poti before the game. Both teams were aching to w i n . But for Canada, the stigma of
losing w o u l d have been unbearable. A n d Canadian coach Pat Q u i n n k n e w that n o r t h of the border,
millions of his c o u n t r y m e n were w a t c h i n g his players' every move on television. "Somehow in Canada
they expect more," he said. "If y o u get a n y t h i n g but gold, you're a failure."
W h e n the puck d r o p p e d o n the ice, almost n o b o d y k n e w w h a t lay buried beneath: a golden
Canadian dollar coin, h i d d e n b y ice specialists f r o m the E d m o n t o n Oilers for g o o d luck as t h e y prepared the rink. T h e U n i t e d States scored the first goal, but soon after, fate seemed to w o r k in favor
of the Canadians. Eight minutes i n t o the game, American T o n y A m o n t e scored a goal, but Canada's
Paul Kariya
assisted b y Chris Pronger and M a r i o L e m i e u x — a n d Jarome Iginla each scored to end
the first p e r i o d at 2 - 1 for Canada. U.S. goalie M i k e Richter later recalled Pronger's centering pass to
Lemieux, w h o faked a shot and let the puck go to Kariya, w h o then blasted the puck i n t o the net. "It
was a beautiful play, a play y o u have t o h o n o r as a goalie. Obviously, I h o n o r e d it a bit t o o much."
By the start of the second period, the game was still anyone's to w i n . Brian Rafalski scored for
the U n i t e d States to tie the game. But less than three minutes later, Canadian Joe Sakic scored w h a t
turned out to be the g a m e - w i n n i n g goal. USA m i g h t have t i e d it up again in the t h i r d , but Canadian
goaltender M a r t i n Brodeur, whose father Denis, a former goalie, had helped Canada w i n the bronze in
1956, made several improbable saves. Canada then scored t w o more to seal the victory.
Just three days before, the E Center had been filled w i t h the sounds of the Canadian national
anthem w h e n the w o m e n s team w o n the gold. N o w , " O , Canada " reverberated t h r o u g h the stands
once again in the final minute of the game. W e t o o k a lot of inspiration f r o m h o w the women's team
played," said defenseman Chris Pronger.
A n d that Canadian coin? Said Gretzky, still beaming, "I dug it up, and we're g o i n g to give it
to the H o c k e y H a l l of Fame."
The United Slates of America defeats Finland
I
A
N
L
O
G
6-0 in the men's final
A
round.
N
"Nobody
Russia
lost 0—7 to the United
States of America
in a women's exhibition
believed in us, and we came out as a whole team, we believed in
game.
each other, we proved it to the whole world.
Obviously,
the U.S. and Canada
now that we're going
we are learning from
We're thrilled,
especially
are way ahead of everyone else, hut
them and the day will
come when we will
Above,
with them. " - Larisa Mishina,
to play against
the big hoys.
- Jan Benda, Germany.
he able to compete
Germany faces the United
States of America
on February
20.
Russia
M
I
C
H
A
E
L
S
E
A
M
A
N
S
"Everybody
just c/oes nuts over there about hockey. No other sports interest people there, just
hockey. The president of Belarus plays hockey twice a week, and for Belarus, hockey is everything."
- Alexander
Zhurik,
Belarus (Team captain Alexander
Andrievski
The crowd watches the United States oj America
20.
is shown above.)
S
I A N
play Germany on February
T
E
V
E
N
C
U
R
R
I
E
L O G A N
Finland's
Teemu Selânne slips a goal past Sergei Shahanov of Belarus on February
16. Belarus lost t
Canada scores on Finland
in the women s tournament,
"The whole aura around
the Olympics
is something special. To get here and experience that with other athletes
who have dedicated themselves and their whole lives to reaching
- Mark
I A N
MacKay,
L
this level is something very special"
Germany
O
G
A
N
"I'd rather he a silver medalist from America than a gold medalist from
any other country. " - U.S. goaltender Sarah Tueting, above
I A N
'It's an empty feeling, and there's not much you can do about it."-Nicklas
Ldstrom
of Sweden, above, whose team was eliminated after a 3-4 loss to Belarus.
L O G A N
The KazMstani
" Y o u start each game like a painter.
how it's going
The Peaks Ice Arena,
to end until
You 've got a blank sheet of paper, and you don't know
60 minutes are over." - Theo Fleury,
above, hosted more than i400
going
had come to Salt Lake City
with $30 in their pockets and a dream to compete in the Olympics.
home with last place hut with the hearts of the fans and the community.
They cheered for every save and exploded when Kazakhstan
Canada.
minutes of ice hockey in February
players
2002.
find
any affordable
bus to find gifts,
thrown
souvenirs,
she and the local community
money and letters. Momentum
in their honor. Said forward
built
Dinara
J
Spectators fell in love with the players'fighting
scored its two goals.
When a volunteer
responded. After a tough 0-7
O
H
N
"We felt the warmth
H
U
E
heard the players
loss to Sweden, the players
and their schedule became packed with
Dikambayeva:
They were
spirit.
couldn't
hoarded the team
brunches, receptions and parties-all
of strangers
here. And it inspired us."
T
•
••
.
m
Hockey fans often encouraged teams to play harder. "I don't think this building
ever been as loud as it is when we're on the ice, and it definitely
— Forward
Jeremy Roenick,
has
gives us more momentum."
United States of America
.
S P E E D
S K A T I N G
IS T H E FASTEST H U M A N - P O W -
ERED SPORT I N T H E W O R L D . W L T H JUST T H E S T R E N G T H o f
T H E I R LEGS A N D T H E S W I N G I N G OF T H E I R A R M S , SKATERS
GO NEARLY 4 0
2002
MILES
AT T H E U T A H
PER H O U R . A N D
FOR 12
DAYS I N
O L Y M P I C O V A L , T H E SPORT WAS T H E
FASTEST EVER. ' T H E
O V A L SITS AT A H I G H E R A L T I T U D E
T H A N A N Y O T H E R S U C H V E N U E I N T H E W O R L D . SKATERS
The Utah
C U T T H R O U G H T H E A I R W I T H LESS RESISTANCE. BECAUSE OF
Olympic
Oval's
ice is kept at a constant
a system of more than 30 miles of cooling
a concrete slab under the 3/4-inch-thick
U T A H ' S DESERT C L I M A T E , T H E ICE IS H A R D E R . I T IS ALSO
A
L
B
E
R
T
surface temperature of ,7 decrees Fahrenheit
pipes and 74 miles of reinforced
ice. The meticulous
C
O
L
A
N
maintenance
T
O
N
steel, embedded in
produces superior
I
with
ice.
O
D E N S E R A N D SLICKER AS T H E DRY A T M O S P H E R E P R O D U C E S
less frost. T h e result? T h e smoothest, fastest ice on earth. D u r i n g the Salt Lake 2002 Games, every
O l y m p i c record and eight out of 10 w o r l d records fell. A n d nearly 300 personal and national records
were b r o k e n . "It's a special place to compete," said D u t c h skater J o c h e m U y t d e h a a g e , the " F l y i n g
D u t c h m a n " w h o w o u l d emerge as the k i n g of the U t a h O l y m p i c Oval.
A l t h o u g h she set an O l y m p i c record of 37.30 in the first race, she remained stoic u n t i l the next
day w h e n she crossed the finish line in 37.45 and knew she h a d w o n the g o l d once again. She smiled
as she skated a v i c t o r y lap w i t h a Canadian flag. H e r intense spirit was e c h o e d b y silver medalist
M o n i q u e Garbrecht-Enfeldt of Germany, w h o had w o n bronze at the Albertville 1992 Games but had
been struggling to reach the p o d i u m again for 10 years. Sabine V ô l k e r of G e r m a n y w o n the bronze,
Records began f a l l i n g in t h e first speed s k a t i n g event of the Games, w i t h Jens Boden of
her first O l y m p i c medal.
G e r m a n y setting a new O l y m p i c mark of 6:21.73, o n l y to be eclipsed t w o hours later b y A m e r i c a n
Derek Parra. A former in-line skating champion, Parra d o u b t e d he w o u l d perform w e l l in the 5000 m.
H e had even asked his wife to stay h o m e w i t h their n e w b o r n daughter because he probably w o u l d n ' t
w i n a medal. A n d then, in w h a t he described as the best 5 K of his life, Parra set a new O l y m p i c and
w o r l d r e c o r d w i t h a t i m e of 6:17.98. " W h e n y o u see someone else finish well, it encourages you," he
said. "You say to yourself, '1 can skate as fast as he can.'"
W h i c h is exactly w h a t Uytdehaage must have been t h i n k i n g w h e n he blasted f r o m the starting
line 30 minutes later. H e shattered Parra's t i m e — a n d w o n the g o l d — b y skating the course in 6:14.66.
Boden, m e a nw h i l e , t o o k h o m e the b r o n z e and Parra, earning the silver, became the first M e x i c a n American ever to medal in the O l y m p i c W i n t e r Games. It was a day of emotions. W h e n Uytdehaage
was asked w h y he shed tears after finishing, he responded, ' W h y shouldn't I cry? W h y not?"
G e r a r d van V e l d e of the N e t h e r l a n d s was a b o u t ready t o give u p — a g a i n . In 10 years of
O l y m p i c c o m p e t i t i o n , he had just missed a medal several times, and d i d n t race in 1998, because he
couldn't adapt to the new klap skate. A f t e r t a k i n g a j o b as a car salesman, he was lured back to the ice
and d e c i d e d t o give speed s k a t i n g a n o t h e r shot at t h e Salt Lake 2 0 0 2 Games, In the 500 m o n
February 11 and 12, van Velde, 30, finished f o u r t h b y 0.02 seconds. H i s expectations were l o w for
the 1000 m. "I'm here for fun," he decided. "I'll do m y best and give it e v e r y t h i n g I have."
A f t e r a mediocre start that left h i m 0.14 seconds b e h i n d Russias Sergey K l e v c h e n y a at the
first split, van Velde skated the fastest lap in any distance ever in speed skating. A n d he destroyed the
w o r l d record w i t h a t i m e of 1:07.18. H i s first full lap was 36 miles per hour, nearly as fast as a greyh o u n d runs. T h e car salesman had made history, and teammate Jan Bos, w h o w o n silver, c o u l d o n l y
w a t c h in admiration. "After Gerard put in such a great time, 1 c o u l d o n l y skate for second place, said
Like many other athletes at the Oval, German Claudia Pechstein and Canadian C i n d y Klassen
Bos. " H e skated the race of his life."
turned to speed skating after t r y i n g another sport. Pechstein began figure skating at age 3, but became
b o r e d b y the ballet training. Klassen had played ice hockey, but failed t o make the 1998 O l y m p i c
team. She tried speed skating reluctantly, o n l y at the u r g i n g of her parents. T h e i r second choice w o u l d
prove to be the wisest. O n February 10, Pechstein skated the t o u g h 3000 m race in 3:57.70, breaking
the w o r l d record (a 3:59.26, w h i c h she also set in 2001 in Calgary) and t a k i n g the gold. W h i l e D u t c h
skater Renate G r o e n e w o l d w o n silver, Klassen f o u n d herself o n the p o d i u m for b r o n z e . "I never
expected to medal," she said. "I just w a n t e d to have fun."
Speed skating is tough. Speed skating w h i l e suffering f r o m an exhaustive case of mononucleosis? Impossible. O r so one w o u l d t h i n k u n t i l witnessing American Chris W i t t y ' s performance in the
1000 m. Feeling drained in the m o n t h s leading up to the Games, W i t t y f o u n d out just three weeks
before the O p e n i n g C e r e m o n y that she h a d the virus. H e r t r a i n i n g and c o m p e t i t i o n days were cut
d o w n dramatically, and she was unsure of h o w she w o u l d p e r f o r m in the Games. "I was h a p p y just to
be able to skate the 1000 m," she said later.
Paired w i t h Canadian Catriona Le M a y D o a n — t h e 500 m g o l d m e d a l i s t — W i t t y felt shaky at
T h e 500 m is the o n l y speed skating event in w h i c h athletes race twice, in t w o consecutive
days. T h i s gives competitors twice the chance to w i n — b u t also twice the chance to lose. For Canada's
Jeremy W o t h e r s p o o n , it was a double disappointment. O n February 11, the gold-medal favorite was
just five steps i n t o his first race w h e n he t r i p p e d and fell. "It's one of the hardest things I've had to
w a t c h in c o m p e t i t i o n ,
said A m e r i c a n Casey F i t z R a n d o l p h , w h o s e interest in speed s k a t i n g was
sparked after he saw Eric H e i d e n w i n five g o l d medals in Lake Placid. "He's one of m y best friends."
the start. Fellow American Jennifer Rodriguez, a former in-line skater f r o m M i a m i , h a d nearly stumb l e d c o m i n g out of the first corner, but made up the lost time to w i n the bronze. C o u l d W i t t y manage
the same k i n d of comeback? H e r weakness seemed to vanish as she began skating around the track,
t r a i l i n g just b e h i n d Le M a y D o a n at the 600-meter mark. "1 was just h a p p y t o be so close t o her,"
W i t t y later said. A n d then came the last lap, w h e n W i t t y pushed f o r w a r d to take the lead and break
the w o r l d record in a t i m e of 1:13.83.
O n February 12, Wotherspoon's time of 34.63 was the day's fastest, but b y failing to finish the
previous days race, he had already missed his shot at glory. T h e g o l d w o u l d instead go to friend and
t r a i n i n g partner, FitzRandolph. H e was j o i n e d o n his v i c t o r y lap b y teammate K i p Carpenter, w h o
w o n the bronze. H i r o y a s u S h i m i z u of Japan, the Nagano 1998 g o l d medalist, w o n silver.
Its a c o m b i n a t i o n of art and grace," said FitzRandolph of speed skating. " A n d it's also power
and strength."
W h i l e W i t t y fought fatigue, Norway's Â d n e S0ndrâl battled pain. W h i l e t r a i n i n g just before
the Games, he dislocated not one but b o t h of his shoulders—an excruciating experience for one w h o
must s w i n g his arms for speed, balance and m o m e n t u m . "So far, I've m o s t l y seen hospitals at the
O l y m p i c s , " he j o k e d after the 1500 m, an event in w h i c h sprinters and long-distance skaters participate. T h e c o m p e t i t i o n is so fierce, explained American J.P. Shilling, "The last lap, y o u just t r y to hang
on, w h e n y o u r tongue is h a n g i n g out of y o u r m o u t h and y o u r eyes are crossed.
D u r i n g the t w o days of c o m p e t i t i o n in the ladies' 500 m, C a t r i o n a Le M a y D o a n of Canada
showed little emotion. As the defending g o l d medalist, she was the favorite for the event. Even she admitted that she w o u l d be surprised not to win. T h e pressure was enormous, but Le M a y D o a n kept it inside.
I am in a sport where I am just g o i n g against the clock," she said. "I wouldn't want it any other way. "
O n February 19, S0ndral h i t the ice and h o p e d for the best. Just minutes before, A m e r i c a n
Parra h a d set a new w o r l d record of 1 ;43.95, l a n d i n g h i m a g o l d medal and k n o c k i n g U y t d e h a a g e
i n t o second for a silver. S0ndrâl was paired w i t h A m e r i c a n Joey C h e e k to battle it out for bronze.
Cheek q u i c k l y gained the lead. T h e already noisy c r o w d began cheering even louder for Cheek. But
in the final 200 m of the last lap S0ndral h u n g on. H e passed C h e e k and finished in 1:45.26, g o o d
enough for the bronze medal, b y simply i g n o r i n g the pain. " W h e n you're racing, y o u don't feel anything," he said. "You c o u l d cut off b o t h arms and not notice."
A n n i Friesinger was famous, and she was flashy. L o n g before she arrived in Salt Lake C i t y , her
fellow Germans had been f o l l o w i n g her times, her t r a i n i n g — a n d her t a t t o o — i n the pages of celebrity
magazines. But t h e c h i l d of t w o speed s k a t i n g parents (her m o t h e r c o m p e t e d for P o l a n d in t h e
Innsbruck 1976 Games) also had a softer side. H e r t a t t o o of a flame was created in m e m o r y of her
father, w h o d i e d in 1996 after a stroke and had always w a n t e d a tattoo. " H e was m y coach, m y best
friend, m y father, she said. A n d on February 20, w h e n she beat her o w n w o r l d record to w i n the g o l d
medal in the 1500 m, the so-called glamour girl began to cry.
Friesinger's race impressed more than her fans. "After Anni," said American Jennifer Rodriguez,
"we were all g o i n g for second place." Rodriguez w o n the bronze medal, w h i l e that second-place spot
w o u l d go to Germany's Sabine Vôlker, w h o finished the Salt Lake 2002 Games having w o n a medal in
every race in w h i c h she competed.
T h e 10,000 m is the m a r a t h o n of O l y m p i c speed skating: a l o n g , 25-lap race where m a n y
athletes collapse or v o m i t or b o t h at the finish line, a race where altitude hits hard. T h i s marathon
was d o m i n a t e d b y the D u t c h skaters. G i a n n i Romme, the g o l d medalist at Nagano in the 5000 and
10,000 had failed this year t o q u a l i f y for the 5000, w h i c h meant the 10,000 was his o n l y O l y m p i c
race. H e aimed to break his o w n w o r l d record of 13:03.40.
But before Romme was even halfway t h r o u g h the race, his legs began t o throb. H e started losi n g his t e c h n i q u e — a n d time. W h e n he crossed the line, the clock read 13:10.03, w h i c h w o u l d eventually earn h i m the silver. Teammate Jochem Uytdehaage, w h o m Romme couldn't bear to w a t c h w i n
the 5000, set a new w o r l d r e c o r d of 12:58.92, earning h i m his second g o l d and t h i r d medal of the
Games. "Halfway, I saw the scoreboard and 1 t h o u g h t ' O h , it is g o i n g good,' and 1 started to increase
m y pace," he said. As Derek Parra, w h o was paired w i t h the f l y i n g D u t c h m a n in the 10,000 m said,
"He's the k i n g of these O l y m p i c s in speedskating.. .he's on fire."
T h e bronze w e n t to N o r w e g i a n Lasse Saetre.
W h i l e German teammate A n n i Friesinger stole the speed skating spotlight, Claudia Pechstein
p r e f e r r e d t o r e m a i n in her shadow, t r a i n i n g steadily and seriously. So w h i l e the w o r l d t u r n e d t o
Friesinger t o w i n her second g o l d of the Games in the 5000 m, Pechstein, the defending g o l d medalist, kept a l o w profile.
In the first p a i r i n g of the day, Gretha Smit of the Netherlands skated a 6:49.22, breaking the
w o r l d record b y more than three seconds, and secured a silver. Canadian Clara Hughes, a t w o - t i m e
O l y m p i c bronze medalist in cycling, finished in the next fastest time, 6:53.53, for another bronze.
In the next heat, Pechstein, w h o was paired w i t h Japan's M a k i Tabata, exploded from the start
and skated the 12.5 laps in 6:46.91. T h e time was more than 10 seconds faster than her personal best,
a n d shattered the w o r l d record b y more t h a n t w o seconds. As Tabata, her o n l y threat, finished far
b e h i n d her, Pechstein realized she had w o n . It was her t h i r d consecutive O l y m p i c g o l d medal in the
Kevin Marshall
oj Canada glides through
the men's WOO m on February
16.
5000 m, a feat not accomplished since Bonnie Blair w o n her t h i r d consecutive in the 500 m. Pechstein
stepped from the shadows to skate a v i c t o r y lap, wearing a w i g in Germany's colors and tossing flowers
S
H
E
I
L
A
M
E
T
Z
N
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R
to the crowd. "I'm not really t h i n k i n g about the future right now," she said. "I just want to celebrate."
iills
CSSISSH
Joey Cheek of the United
States of America
fourth,
T
I
races in the <500 m. He would place
missing the bronze hy 0 . 0 8 seconds.
B
O
R
N
E
M
E
T
H
"I have never dug so deep. With
three or four
laps. I thought.
I just want to stand up and finish.'"
J
I
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- American
E
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E
'Please just let me stand up.
Jason Hedstrand
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Canadian
Patrick
Bouchard,
who set a personal
record in the tooo
m. has a
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and a master's degree in electrical
engineering.
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Canadas
Catriona
the Saskatchewan
Le May
Doan began speed skating when she was 9. On February
native won the ladies' 500 m, giving
i4,
Christian
Brewer of Germany catches his breath.
Canada its first gold medal of the Games.
1
—
I
iillit" f f .
•
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f ,
mÊÊIÊÊIÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÈi
"Dreams come true. If you think it, you believe it." - Derek Pana,
who on February
294
medal in the Olympic
9 became the first
Winter
I
B
O
right,
to win a
Games. Ten days later, he set a new world
of 1:43.95
T
Mexican-American
R
..
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295
record
in the 1500 m.
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E
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In 4 998, Gerard van Velde of the Netherlands
China's Fengtonc) Yu, 17, was the youngest
speed skater to compete at the
Salt Lake 2 0 0 2 Games. He set a personal record in the 4 0 0 0 m.
A
N
D
Y
A
N
D
E
R
S
O
N
sell cars. In 2 0 0 2 , he came hack to destroy
is so incredibly
S
H
beautiful/'
E
I
L
A
[center] gave up speed skating
the 1000 m record.
he said.
M
That
to
I could do it here
It's a crown on my career.
E
T
Z
N
ILLLLL
Koreas Seung-Yonç) Choi, above, set a new national
competition
record on the first day of
American
Derek Parra
paces himself in the grueling
10,000 m.
in the ladies' 500
J O H N
H
U
E
T
The Dutch
team warms up. Before the Salt Lake 2002 Games, the Netherlands
won 6 ì Olympic
Belarusian
Aleksey
Khatylyov
takes off in the explosive
500 r
"It's definitely
Winter
a Dutch
sport,"
carrying
D
A
V
I
D
B
U
R
N
E
T
Games medals, 58 of which
had
were in speed skating.
said fan Bart Schenk, who traveled to Utah from
Holland
a suitcase stuffed with orange cheering gear.
T
D
J
A
O
V
H
I
D
N
B
U
R
H U E T
N
E
T
(
T
B
(
O
T
T
T
O
O
P
M
)
)
Each day of competition,
athletes treated 4600 spectators to history
national
A
L
B
E
R
and personal records fell,
T
C
O
L
A
N
in the making,
as world,
Olympic,
one hy one.
T
O
N
I
O

B O B S L E I G H • HOW DOES IT FEEL TO ROCKET DOWN THE

Transcription

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