U.S. medal count

Rocky Mountain News

Published February 27, 2006 at midnight

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How the United States fared at the Turin Olympics, comparing pre-Games medal predictions by Rocky Mountain News Olympic writer Jody Berger with actual performance:

• ALPINE SKIING: Daron Rahlves was too excited, Bode Miller too interested in partying and Lindsey Kildow hurt herself in training. If not for Julia Mancuso (gold, giant slalom) and Ted Ligety (gold, combined), the Americans would have wiped out.

Prediction: 4 (1 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze).

Actual: 2 (2 gold).

• BIATHLON: The only sport in which Americans never have produced a medal. Jay Hakkinen hoped to change that in a sport that combines cross-country skiing with rifle marksmanship, but the Europeans continued to dominate.

Prediction: None.

Actual: None.

• BOBSLED: Shauna Rohbock, a soldier and former Brigham Young All-American soccer player, piloted a sled that won silver in the women's event. She and Valerie Fleming ended an 0-6 American drought in the luge, bobsled and skeleton.

Prediction: 1 (1 gold).

Actual: 1 (1 silver).

• CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Kikkan Randall's ninth-place finish in the women's 1.1-kilometer sprint was the best Olympic cross-country result by a U.S. woman. The best news: The United States will commit more money and other support to the program for the next two Winter Olympics.

Prediction: None.

Actual: None.

• CURLING: Cassie Johnson, her sister Jamie and the rest of the Curl Girls garnered all the pre-Games attention. But when they went 2-7, the men's team stepped in to fill the spotlight. No one mentioned Pete Fenson's team before February, but it went 7-4 and earned bronze, the first Olympic medal in U.S. curling history.

Prediction: None.

Actual: 1 (1 bronze).

• FIGURE SKATING: Michelle Kwan went home two days into the Games. Sasha Cohen fell twice during her long program but still earned silver. And U.S. men's champion Johnny Weir missed the bus to his competition and never regained his composure. The salvation came from an unlikely source: ice dancers Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, who earned silver, the first American medal in dance in 30 years.

Prediction: 2 (1 gold, 1 silver).

Actual: 2 (2 silver).

• FREESTYLE SKIING: A disappointment for nearly everyone except Vail's Toby Dawson, who finished third in the men's moguls. Jeremy Bloom, of Loveland, finished sixth, then hopped a plane for the NFL scouting combine. American women were shut out in moguls and aerials; Jeret Peterson couldn't land the Hurricane and slipped out of medal contention in aerials.

Prediction: 3 (1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze).

Actual: 1 (1 bronze).

• HOCKEY: It was a semidisaster, with the women losing a semifinal shootout against Sweden and settling for bronze and an aging men's team winning only one of six games and bowing out in the quarterfinals.

Prediction: 1 (1 silver).

Actual: 1 (1 bronze).

• LUGE: Less time than it takes to blink, that's how close the Americans came to winning their first medal in singles competition. Courtney Zablocki, of Highlands Ranch, was third after her first run and wound up fourth, 0.4 of a second from bronze. Minnesota's Tony Benshoof finished fourth in men's action by 0.153 of a second.

Prediction: 2 (1 gold, 1 bronze).

Actual: None.

• NORDIC COMBINED: Todd Lodwick, a four-time Olympian from Steamboat Springs, accused teammate Carl Van Loan of being "way out of shape" and the "weakest link" after a seventh-place finish in the team competition. In the 7.5K individual event, Lodwick finished ninth and bid farewell to Olympic competition.

Prediction: 1 (1 bronze).

Actual: None.

• SHORT-TRACK SPEEDSKATING: Apolo Anton Ohno lived up to his pre-Olympic billing and carried the U.S. team to three medals. He led the 500 race from gate-to-wire for gold and picked up bronze medals in the 1,000 and the relay, all without controversy.

Prediction: 3 (1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze).

Actual: 3 (1 gold, 2 bronze).

• SKELETON: The U.S. team was a mess — before the Games, coach Tim Nardiello was fired after a sexual harassment suit filed by team members and the top man, Zach Lund, tested positive for a banned substance — and performed that way.

Prediction: 1 (1 bronze).

Actual: None.

• SKI JUMPING: Competing in his third Olympics despite suffering a severe left knee injury one year ago, Alan Alborn was the only American to advance to the final of the individual K120 event. He finished 43rd. Americans were 14th in the team event.

Prediction: None.

Actual: None.

• SNOWBOARDING: Americans won seven of 18 snowboard medals awarded in Turin. Halfpipers led the way with two golds, two silvers and two fourth-place riders oh-so-close to bronze. Seth Wescott handily won the first snowboardcross gold. Lindsey Jacobellis built a seemingly insurmountable lead, went for a flashy grab to celebrate a tad early and crashed less than 100 yards from the finish. She got up in time to claim the silver but not her dignity. Three-time Olympian Rosey Fletcher picked up a bronze in parallel giant slalom.

Prediction: 6 (2 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze).

Actual: 7 (3 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze).

• SPEEDSKATING: Despite feuding openly through most of the Winter Games, Chad Hedrick and Shani Davis combined for two golds, two silvers and one bronze. Still, Joey Cheek stole the show in winning gold and silver medals and pledging $40,000 — his reward from the USOC — to help kids from war-torn nations play sports.

Prediction: 6 (3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze).

Actual: 7 (3 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze).

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