U.S over-promises, under-delivers
Americans’ 23 medals are the country’s lowest output since the 1998 games.
GANGNEUNG, SOUTH KOREA — They had their moments, without a doubt.
From a nerve-wracking victory in women’s hockey to the fun-loving guys over at the curling sheet to Shaun White’s spiraling run of redemption, the American athletes gave the folks back home some compelling reasons to stay up to all hours of the night.
Yet there were far more times when flipping the channel was the better option.
No amount of soaring visuals or tear-jerking features or hokey patriotism could gloss over this reality: Team USA did not live up to expectations at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
The flame was set to be doused Sunday night on a games that produced nine golds but only 23 medals overall, which repre- sented the country’s lowest out
put since 1998 and, more perplexing, far below the U.S. Olympic Committee’s own target.
If not for those shredders out at the snowboard mountain, who accounted for nearly half the golds (four) and seven medals in all, these Olympics would’ve been a total flop for the Americans.
Someone’s got some ’splaining to do.
They should start with whoever came up with that full-screen slide, presented to the USOC last
year, projecting cans would take a minimum of 25 medals, set a supposedly realistic target of 37, and even threw out the laughable possibility of making offff with 59 if absolutely everything went according to plan (and, presumably, a bunch of nations didn’t show up). Short of persuading the blue bloods to come up with a few more sports Americans might be good at — snow basketball, anyone? — there are some serious areas of concern that must be addressed right away. Hey, the clock is already ticking on Beijing. Speedskating might be the biggest trouble spot, especially since it’s produced more U.S. winter medals than any other, but women’s ure skating and men’s Alpine skiing aren’t far behind. All were underachievers in Pyeongchang. Long-track speedskating made offff with bronze, when it was projected to win at least three medals and had a target of four. While powers-that-be wisely stayed away from the that produced a Sochi shutout—hey, let’s train beforehand into tall yd if ff ff ff ff ff fe rent conditions than the Olympics and break in a new suit that actually us slower — the results were only marginally better. Some of the explanations were downright bizarre, such as Joey Mantia’s take after he came up about a second short of a bronze medal in mass start. Remember, this is the guy who was reigning world champion. “I, ultimately, didn’t train hard enough or specific for this event,” he said. In what might have been the final Olympics of his brilliant career, Shani Davis have anything to say at all. He blew offff the media by slipping out a back door, having produced of seventh and 19th in South Korea. Then there’s fifififififigure skating, the sport that largely drives NBC gravy train. It was held to a pair of bronze medals in Pyeongchang (which, in fairness, was just one shy of its USOC target) and has fallen completely offff map on the women’s Fallen being the tive word. Mirai Nagasu, Karen Chen and Bradie Tennell all went down in the short program on the to ninth, 10th and 11th. What a tumble for nation that produced seven gold medalists in women’s figure skating from 1952 in Oslo to 2006 in Turin. With Lindsay Vonn and Ted Ligety likely on the way out, Alpine skiing is heading for a major changing of the guard after winning only one gold and three medals at these games. That was the fewest U.S. victories since 2002, the fewest podium finishes since 2006. USOC had targeted four medals and the national governing body totally missed the mark, hoping for seven. Yep, there were some must-see moments for American at these Olympics. Just not nearly enough.