Monday, March 1, 2010

Eye-opener: Ranking the Vancouver Games


Competition that USA TODAY's Christine Brennan called "home games for the U.S. without the home pressure" became a very successful 17 days, as our medal tracker shows.

But how do you feel? Please let us know about everything and anything on the Vancouver Olympics. Feel free to comment below.

For Canada, the home pressure was enormous, especially on the men's hockey team, which needed Sidney Crosby's overtime goal to edge the U.S. 3-2 for the gold medal yesterday afternoon.

The Canadians entered the Games with an "Own the Podium" pledge but they finished third in medals with 26 (Germany had 30). The hosts did lead with 14 gold, so they stood atop the medal stand most often but they had company.

The American effort was on full display on Feb. 17 when Shaun White (snowboard halfpipe) and Shani Davis (1,000m speedskating) repeated their gold medals from 2006 and highlighted a six-medal day - the most productive 24 hours at a Winter Games in U.S. history.

Also, and set various records for medals and the Yanks also ended an Olympics-old drought by winning the USA's first-ever medals while the team claimed gold for the first time since 1948.

This year's Games did feature sadness. Hours before the lighting of the caldron, Georgian luger died making a practice run and Canadian won a figure skating bronze four days after her mother died.

And the weatherman inserted himself into the lineup on several occasions.

All in all, the totals certainly added up nicely for the Americans. But one wonders when it all shakes out, where Vancouver sits on the list of Winter Olympics.

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