Sochi Winter Olympics: Are We Winning?
When it comes to the Winter Games, the U.S. just can’t seem to catch up to Norway. Will this finally be our year? Stay up to date on Team USA's standing in the race for the gold.
Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters
The Olympics are back, and it’s time to put on your red, white, and blue and cheer for the home team. Might we suggest the chant: “We’re number two!”
Team USA cleans up during the summer games (we’ve got a lot of good swimmers and runners), winning the most gold and overall medals in warm weather. But when it comes to the winter games, we just can’t seem to catch up to Norway—a country that excels in cross country skiing and the biathlon, events that award a lot of medals and that the U.S. doesn’t have a chance of dominating.
We haven’t always been winter losers. The U.S. killed it in the Vancouver games in 2010, winning the most overall medals (37), though the win was dominated by a large number of silver and bronze. In Utah, 2002, the U.S. lost the top spot to Germany by just two medals. And we’ll always have Lake Placid in 1932, the first time the Winter Games were hosted in North America, and the only time Team USA won in both overall and gold medals.
Cross our fingers though we may, it doesn’t look so good this year. Oddsmakers predict that Norway will once again top the gold-medal table. But we refuse to listen to that. Though people may bet against us, and data may say we don’t have a chance, there are always miracles.
Check back to see how we’re faring in Sochi. USA! USA!