We’re in the last week of the Winter Olympics in Sochi. VPR’s Mitch Wertlieb and Andy Gardiner talked about some of the most recent results.
Vermonters In Sochi: Olympic Athletes, Events And Results >>
- Alex Deibold of Manchester Center is the latest Vermonter to win a medal in Sochi. Deibold finished third to win Bronze in the men's Snowboard Cross competition. Early Tuesday, Deibold clinched the medal under drizzly conditions, that made passing difficult. Deibold is 27 years old and winning a medal is quite an accomplishment for a guy who went to the Vancouver Olympics not as a competitor, but as a wax technician for the U.S. Team.
- On Monday, Susan Dunklee of Barton made history by finishing 12th in the womens’ 12.5K Biathlon Mass Start, the best ever finish for a U.S. woman.
- Burke Mountain Academy grad Mikaela Shiffrin finished 5th Tuesday in the women’s Giant Slalom.
- East Montpelier’s Liz Stephen was hoping for a medal in the 4x5k Cross Country Relay on Saturday. Stephen raced a strong leg of the event, but the American team couldn’t catch up after skier Kikkan Randall lost momentum in the opening leg of the race. The U.S. team finished 9th.
- Two other locals had best-ever finishes for Americans in their sports. Sophie Caldwell of Peru, Vt. finished 6th in the Individual Sprint. Lowell Bailey placed 8th in the Individual 20K Biathlon.
- In the men’s Alpine Super G, all eyes were on Bode Miller, but it was Lake Placid’s Andrew Weibrecht who pulled off silver. Miller tied for bronze.
- In the women's Snowboard Cross, Lindsay Jacobellis had the lead in the semi-finals, but her string of hard luck falls dating back to 2006 continued, with a bad landing off a jump that caused her to crash and miss out on the finals and out of medal contention.
Things to watch this week:
- On Thursday, another chapter will be written in what’s become one of the greatest rivalries in sports: the US Women's hockey team will face Canada in the Gold medal Game.
- On Friday, Mikaela Shiffrin will compete in the slalom.
You can find a schedule and results for all of Vermont’s athletes on VPR’s Winter Olympics page.
