The United States Olympic team made history in the 21st Winter Olympic games, taking home 37 medals.
The total number of medals surpasses those won by the U.S. or any other team in any previous Winter Olympic games.
In last night’s closing ceremonies, the U.S. team members held their heads high, having made U.S. Winter Olympic history throughout the 16 days of competition.
Steve Holcomb, driver of the U.S. four-man bobsledded team, overcame insurmountable odds.
After nearly losing his ability to see, he underwent an eye procedure which had not been released by the FDA at the time. A surgery, which took ten minutes per eye to complete, gave him the ability to see once again.
Holcomb was then left with learning how to drive with sight, after having become accustomed to driving by the feel and sounds of the track.
He led his four man team to Olympic gold on Friday evening, the first U.S. gold in men’s 4-man bobsled since the 1948 Winter games.
The U.S. Nordic Combined team broke an 86-year drought for the U.S., winning a total of four medals in the Nordic Combined events. These medals were the first for the U.S. in the history of the Winter Olympics.
Nordic combined skier Johnny Spillane won two of these medals– one gold and one silver.
U.S. short track speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno widened the gap in most medals by a Winter Olympic athlete when he won his eighth Olympic medal in the team 5000k relay.
U.S. Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn didn’t make Olympic history, but will be one name talked about in many Winter Olympic games to come.
Many questioned whether Vonn, would medal in these Olympic games, due to a severely bruised right shin. Yet, she came away with a gold in her first event, the woman’s downhill.
Vonn shocked hundreds more as they watched her win another medal, a bronze in the woman’s Super-G.
The U.S. men’s hockey team skated clean, fast and tight in yesterday’s gold medal finals against team Canada. In sudden death overtime, Sidney Crosby became a Canadian hero as he scored the winning goal.
The Canadian hockey team lept to their feet to skate out on the ice in celebration, while the U.S. team hung their heads in defeat. The U.S. lost the gold, but they came away with silver, solidifying the elite U.S. players as second best in the world.
The U.S. Olympic team broke history again as the final medal count was taken last evening.
Among the U.S. Olympic athletes, 37 medals were won, the most by any nation ever in the history of the Winter Olympics.
This historic achievement set the 2010 U.S. Winter Olympic team in a class of their own.
