Gold in the Cold: USA anticipates Vancouver Olympics

With only one week until the Winter Olympics are set to begin in Vancouver, it’s a good time to look at what this year’s games will bring. The United States saw its Olympics domination curbed in Beijing in 2008, when China was able to win 51 gold medals to the 35 of the U. S. Although the U. S. had a successful Olympics and actually won more total medals than the Chinese, 2008 was a sign of what kind of Olympic success China can have in the future.

However, U. S. Olympic Committee chief executive Jim Scherr has “great expectations” for this year’s team and in interviews with various media outlets has downplayed the threat China will pose in Vancouver.

“On the winter side, [China is] probably where they were in 1996 on the summer side,” Scherr said at a press conference. “We have been fortunate they haven’t turned their full focus and energy to the Winter Olympics side.”

Although Canada finished five in the medal count at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, some experts, including CC economics professor Dan Johnson, who has developed an extremely accurate economic formula to predict country medal counts, think the Canadians could come out on top this year, due in part to home country advantage.

Nearly half of U. S. gold medals could come from speedskating, where Shani Davis, Chad Hedrick, and Turner Fredericks all look like medal contenders. Of course, short-track skater Apolo Anton Ohno has proven to be dominant, and will give the U. S. a great chance at gold not just in his individual events but also the relay. 

U. S. men’s ski team coach Sasha Rearick said earlier this week that Bode Miller will again ski in all five alpine events. In 2006, when Miller first attempted to ski all five events, he was seen as a strong medal contender. The results, as many remember, were disappointing. Miller did not finish or was disqualified in three of his five events.

Although it has been eight years since Miller won two medals in Salt Lake City, U. S. coaches still seem hopeful that he will be able to perform well in Vancouver. He was practically unknown before the 2002 Olympics when he won his medals and went into 2006 with impossibly high expectations. Perhaps now, with less pressure, Miller will be able to capture his old Olympic form.

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver open on Friday, February 12 and last until February 2008. The Olympics will be televised on NBC, USA, MSNBC, and CNBC.