Winter Olympics Sochi 2014: Day 13

Hard work, perseverance, and consistence pays off. On day 13 of competition at Sochi several members of Team USA proved it--- Ted Ligety, two teams from the Women's Bobsled Team, and three ladies from the US Figure Skating Team.

    from Sochi 2014 website

At the age of 29, Ted Ligety won the second gold medal of his career in giant slalom. It came eight years after winning his first in Torino in the combined. Ligety says he hasn't ruled out coming back in four years in Korea and hopes to continue skiing even after that. He talked about what sets him apart from his competitors, he said he skis sharp turns that put him almost parallel to the snow. I don't know how he manages to stay on his feet, but Ligety's method hasn't let him down.

The Results:

Alpine Skiing: Men's Giant Slalom

1. Ted Ligety, USA, total time: 2:45.59
2. Steve Missillier, France, total time: 2:45.77
3. Alexis Pinturault, France, total time: 2:45.93

    from Sochi 2014 website

Lauryn Williams became the first woman in modern Olympics to win a medal in both the Summer and Winter Games. She won a silver in women's bobsled partnered with Elana Meyers, a gold medal from London 2012 as a member of the 4x100m relay, and in 2004 in Sydney, where she won the silver medal in the 100m. Meyers and Williams actually led after three out of four races, but team Canada overtook them.

The Results:

Bobsled: Two Women

1. Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse, Canada, total time: 3:50.61
2. Elana Meyers and Lauryn Williams, USA, total time: 3:50.71
3. Aja Evans and Jamie Greubel, USA, total time: 3:51.61

Lastly, probably the most sought after ticket at these games, the ladies figure skating event began last night with the short program. Team USA has three entrants, all in medal contention after night one of two nights of competition. Gracie Gold stands in fourth place and Ashley Wagner is in sixth place, both will skate in the last group on Thursday night in the long program (also called free skate). Polina Edmunds, 15 years old, and in her first Olympics is in seventh place. However, the young woman in first place is of absolutely no surprise to me, Yuna Kim of Korea at age 24 skated a strong short program solidifying her dominance in the sport in her legendary status in Korea. In four years, the Games will be held in her home country, and whether she skates or not I have no doubt she will be a major part of those Games.

The Standings:

Figure Skating: Ladies Short Program

1. Yuna Kim, Korea, 74.92
2. Adelina Sotnikova, Russian Federation, 74.64
3. Carolina Kostner, Italy, 74.12
4. Gracie Gold, USA, 68.63
5. Yulia Lipnitskaya, Russian Federation, 65.23
6. Ashley Wagner, USA, 65.21
7. Polina Edmunds, USA, 61.04

    from NBC Olympics website (Yuna Kim and Gracie Gold)