USA TODAY International Edition
BRONZED GLORY
USBSF athletes win six medals
Though American bobsled driver Steve Holcomb didn’t win a race, he’ll leave with his name even more cemented in U. S. bobsled history, the first American since 1952 to win two- and fourman medals in the same Olympics.
POLYANA, KRASNAYA RUSSIA USA- 1 bobsled pilot Steve Holcomb’s strained left calf didn’t help his gold medal chances in the two- and four- man events.
But the way experienced Russia- 1 pilot Alexander Zubkov had the track at the Sanki Sliding Center mastered, the races were for silver and bronze.
In historic conclusions to the four- man race Sunday, Holcomb finished third behind Zubkov, the gold medalist, and Latvia- 1 pilot Oskars Melbardis.
The bronze was Holcomb’s second of the Games following his third- place finish in two- man, and he became the first American since 1952 to win two- and fourman medals in the same Winter Olympics.
“We came here to win. That was our ultimate goal, period,” he said. “But to walk away with two bronzes, I’m happy. We’re elated. This is fantastic. Being an Olympic medalist is not easy regardless of what color it is.”
In the third heat, Zubkov separated himself from the field, Melbardis stayed in second and Holcomb leapfrogged Germany- 1 pilot Maximilian Arndt, and that’s how the podium stacked.
Zubkov won in a four- heat time of 3 minutes, 40.6 seconds, becoming the sixth person to win four- man and two- man gold in the same Olympics and the first to win both Olympic golds in his home country.
“I wanted to create a masterwork,” Zubkov said. “The track conquers me, or I conquer the track. … We did the impossible.”
Melbardis missed out — by nine- hundredths of a second — on giving Latvia its first gold medal in Winter Olympics history, but he will take home silver. And Holcomb held off Russia- 2 pilot Alexander Kasjanov by three- hundredths of a second for bronze.
Kasjanov is the same guy Holcomb edged by the same threehundredths of a second for twoman bronze.
“He hates me, I’m sure,” Holcomb said.
Germany will go home without a men’s bobsled medal for the first time since the 1964 Innsbruck Olympics, a disappointing result for a proud bobsled nation.
This was Zubkov’s Olympics. Russia’s flag- bearer in the opening ceremony, he delivered his country’s fourth medal on the final day of the Sochi Games.
There was simply no catching Zubkov, 39, on this track. It’s estimated he had at least 300 runs at the Sanki Sliding Center while competitors, including the USA, had about 50. Zubkov didn’t win a four- man or two- man race during the 2013- 14 World Cup season but won twice in the Olympics.
Holcomb entered the Olympics with big goals — gold in both events — and though he didn’t win a race, he’ll leave with his name even more cemented in U. S. bobsled history.
He now has three Olympic medals after winning four- man gold in the 2010 Vancouver Games and two- man bronze this month. He is the only American pilot with more than two Olympic medals. Holcomb, who raced with a strained left calf suffered in two- man, is the first American since Billy Fiske in 1928 and 1932 to win consecutive Olympic medals in four- man.
And if you can believe this, Holcomb ended another 62- year drought for U. S. bobsled. Before Sunday, Stanley Benham in 1952 was the last American to win twoand four- man medals in the same Olympics.
Holcomb’s two- man bronze was also the first medal in that event since Benham in 1952, and when Holcomb won four- man gold in the 2010 Vancouver Games, it was the first U. S. win in that event since 1948 — all 62year streaks.
“We felt a lot of pressure to perform here since we were the reigning champions. Everyone expected us to win, and it’s not easy. I feel great leaving Sochi with two medals,” Holcomb said.
The U. S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation delivered outstanding results. No gold but six podium finishes in five events: Besides Holcomb, Noelle Pikus- Pace took silver in women’s skeleton; Matt Antoine bronze in men’s skeleton; Elana Meyers- Lauryn Williams silver and Jamie GreubelAja Evans bronze in women’s bobsled.
It is the best Olympics for the USBSF on foreign soil and rivals the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, when its athletes medaled six times in five events. However, there were three golds ( men’s and women’s skeleton and women’s bobsled) in Salt Lake.
“It’s just been a continuous evolution. There’s no one thing. We’re setting high expectations,” USBSF CEO Darrin Steele said. “It starts with recruiting athletes. You’ve got to have the right coaches. You’ve got to get them the resources and the tools to win. The formula has worked.”
The six USBSF medals in Sochi trail only the U. S. Ski and Snowboard Association for most medals for a U. S. federation.
Those investments with the new BMW two- man sleds and with Bo- Dyn Bobsled Project, headed by former NASCAR driver Geoff Bodine, in the four- man sleds have helped win medals.
“I guarantee the teams that weren’t on the podium today are scratching their heads and going back to the drawing board,” Holcomb said. “We can’t stand still and say, ‘ Hey, we made it.’ We’ve got to keep going forward as well, and having these medals is going to motivate BMW as well as BoDyn to stay with us and show the hard work they’re putting does pay off.”
Steele likes to say sleds alone don’t produce results. With Holcomb injured, push athletes Curt Tomasevicz, who said he raced in his final event, Steve Langton and Chris Fogt compensated with all the speed and strength they had.
Then, it was up to Holcomb to drive.
Holcomb, 33, said people keep asking him what’s he’s going to do after Sochi, and his answer indicates he’s not ready to retire.
“I love what I do. I don’t want to get a real job,” he said. “I may stick around a few more years. I’m not sure. Just see how things go. I’m going to go home and relax and just gather myself over the next few weeks and see where I’m at.
“Look at Zubkov, he’s 39 and he’s winning. It looks promising for me. I’ll be younger than he is at the next Games.”