Red, White and Blue — My picks for medalists in Sochi
With less than a month to go until the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games, I am getting pretty excited about spending some late nights and early mornings cheering on Team USA. I was fortunate enough to several weeks in London during the 2012 Summer Olympic games and got to meet and interview some incredible athletes as a correspondent for Universal Sports.
Although I won’t be in Russia to witness the games live, I’m excited to watch our Winter athletes get on the podium and show our friends in the northern hemisphere that we’ve got game for all seasons.
Here are some of my picks for 2014 Olympic Medalists:
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Olympic Sportsman of the Year Ted Ligety continues to top podiums around the world.[/caption]
Ted Ligety
This alpine ski racer has taken the ski world by storm! His performances in the 2013 season were nothing less than incredible, adding to his legacy and becoming a four-time World Cup champion. He was named Olympic Sportsman of the Year by the US Olympic Committee in 2013, which is no surprise seeing that he continues to win races by large margins, seconds ahead of the competition.
Heather Richardson
After her first Olympic games in 2010, Heather has come into the 2014 season prepared to show the world she’s a champion speed skater. Competing in multiple long-track speed skating events, she collected 11 medals on the 2013 World Cup circuit and is the reigning World Sprint champion.
Steven Holcomb (and the four-man bobsled)
I’m not sure if you know this, but bobsledder Steven Holcomb was nearly blind a few years ago. Yes, that’s right. The man who shoots down an icy track at top speeds with the lives of his teammates in his hands was diagnosed with a degenerative disease in the prime of his career. Thankfully, Steven was able to receive a cutting edge vitamin-derived treatment that restored his visions to 20/20.
I’ve had the opportunity to meet the members of USA Bobsled team, including team execs and Steve Langton, one of Holcomb’s teammates. They are all really great, talented people for whom I wish and expect great things.
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Hannah lets a young fan wear her 2010 gold medal[/caption]
Hannah Kearney
Coming off of a gold medal start to her 2014 season, Hannah is in a great place to secure Freestyle Skiing gold in Sochi. For Hannah, the Olympics is more than just skiing. She enjoys the opportunity to showcase to the American public a sport not often watched or followed. Here’s hoping that her off season training is enough to push the pace in Russia and get her to the top of the podium.
Shaun White
As a two-time Olympic snowboarding champion, Shaun White is hoping to pull off a hat trick in Sochi, going for a third consecutive Olympic medal. Having trained on a private half pipe in Colorado, I’m sure White has many a show-stopping trick up his sleeve. I wasn’t a fan of snowboarding until I watched him for the first time and now I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next month.
