Heavy Medal - The Washington Post's blog about the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics - February 7, 2010

Apolo Anton Ohno wins 6th Olympic medal

Apolo Anton Ohno won silver in the short-track 1,500-meter speedskating final Saturday night, earning his sixth medal to tie Bonnie Blair as the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian in history. American J.R. Celski, 19, grabbed the bronze medal and Korea's...

By Lindsay Applebaum | February 13, 2010; 11:03 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Apolo Anton Ohno , Short Track Speedskating , Vancouver 2010
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Yzerman: Russia, not Canada, is the favorite

Russia is the favorite for hockey gold, according to Steve Yzerman, the executive director for Canada's hockey team. Yzerman, trying to paint powerhouse Canada as an underdog, said during a news conference Saturday that it would be less of a...

By Lindsay Applebaum | February 13, 2010; 7:51 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Alex Ovechkin , Ice hockey , Vancouver 2010
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Live Olympics chat: Day 2

Join media reporter Paul Farhi to discuss NBC's primetime coverage of the Vancouver Olympics. On Day 2, Apolo Ohno eyes gold in short-track speedskating. We'll kick things off around 8 p.m. Join the conversation below: Vancouver 2010: Day 2...

By Lindsay Applebaum | February 13, 2010; 7:34 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Live chats , Vancouver 2010
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Georgia president mourns luger

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili Saturday dismissed speculation that luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, the 21-year-old who was killed in an accident Friday, was too inexperienced to race on the Whistler track. "One thing I know for sure is that no sports mistake...

By Tracee Hamilton | February 13, 2010; 7:32 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Luge , Vancouver 2010
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U.S. jumpers fall short of finals

While the United States is catching up with the rest of the world in Nordic events such as biathlon, cross-country skiing and Nordic combined, ski jumping still remains a work in progress. None of the three Americans made the 30-man...

By Tracee Hamilton | February 13, 2010; 7:22 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Ski Jumping
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Friday's show sets Canadian record

An estimated 13.3 million viewers watched the entire Opening Ceremonies Friday night, making it the most watched television show in Canadian history, according to CTV, a consortium of 11 television networks that is televising the games in Canada. That broke...

By Tracee Hamilton | February 13, 2010; 6:33 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Opening Ceremonies
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Ohno begins pursuit of history Saturday night

When short track speedskating begins Saturday night, Apolo Anton Ohno will try to become the most decorated Olympian in the history of this thrilling, high-speed sport. Ohno has five medals from Salt Lake City and Turin, and no one has...

By Matthew Rennie | February 13, 2010; 3:24 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Apolo Anton Ohno , Short Track Speedskating , Vancouver 2010
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Weir feels safer from activists by staying in village

Figure skater Johnny Weir might not like staying at the Olympic athletes village, but he feels safer than he would in a hotel. Weir said he received what he considers "very serious threats" from anti-fur activists, which influenced his decision...

By Matthew Rennie | February 13, 2010; 2:42 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Figure Skating , Johnny Weir , Vancouver 2010
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Safety measures installed on luge track

Hours after investigators concluded that human error, not a problem with the track, caused the fatal accident that on Friday sent Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili flying off of his sled headfirst into a trackside metal pole, Olympic and luge officials...

By Amy Shipley | February 13, 2010; 12:33 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (32)
Categories: Luge
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Live chat: Opening Ceremony

Chat with media reporter Paul Farhi and TV critic Hank Stuever as the Vancouver Games begin with the Opening Ceremony on NBC. We'll kick things off around 9 p.m. Join the conversation below: Opening Ceremonies...

By Lindsay Applebaum | February 12, 2010; 8:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Live chats , Opening Ceremonies , Television , Vancouver 2010
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Reports: Georgian luger killed in training crash

The Toronto Sun is reporting that Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili has died from injuries suffered during a crash in training. The 21-year-old lost control of his sled near the finish. UPDATE (3:36 p.m.): The Associated Press has confirmed that Kumaritashvili...

By Matthew Rennie | February 12, 2010; 3:07 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Luge , Vancouver 2010
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Olympic women's downhill training canceled

The scheduled training session for the women's Olympic downhill race was canceled Friday afternoon, meaning American Lindsey Vonn will have yet another day to rest her severely bruised shin. Training was originally scheduled for 1 p.m. local time at Whistler...

By Barry Svrluga | February 12, 2010; 2:55 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Skiing
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Georgian luger seriously injured in crash

The opening day of the Games took a serious turn when a men's luger from the former Soviet republic of Georgia crashed during a training run and required emergency medical attention. Officials said Nodar Kumaritashvili lost control of his sled...

By Matthew Rennie | February 12, 2010; 2:20 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Nyman gets final men's downhill spot in Saturday's race

With the final training run for men's downhill canceled Friday, the U.S. ski team's coaches had a decision to make with no more on-hill evidence to make it: Take Erik Fisher or Steven Nyman for the fourth and final downhill...

By Barry Svrluga | February 12, 2010; 1:58 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Skiing
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Teter to donate medal money to Haiti

U.S. snowboarding star Hannah Teter, the reigning Olympic champion in halfpipe, promised Thursday that if she wins a medal at the Vancouver Games, she will donate her prize money to the reconstruction effort in Haiti. The U.S. Olympic Committee awards...

By Amy Shipley | February 12, 2010; 1:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Snowboard
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Alpine skiing: A home-field advantage?

Alpine skiing is an odd sport that includes more variables than just about any endeavor with stakes as high as Olympic gold medals: weather, snow conditions, starting position, light, wind, etc. This all makes the men's downhill -- the marquee...

By Barry Svrluga | February 12, 2010; 10:39 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Skiing , Vancouver 2010
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Commuters make way for Olympic hordes

The Canadians who are volunteering at these Games are, like volunteers at all Olympics, very friendly. I get a slightly different vibe from the Canadians who use Vancouver's rail system to commute. Transportation plans for these Games make heavy use...

By Tracee Hamilton | February 12, 2010; 7:29 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Bode Miller: Style over substance

(Getty Images) After flaming out at the 2006 Games in Turin, Bode Miller returns to the Olympics and still places greater importance on how he performs rather than what he wins: He has never won an Olympic gold medal,...

By Lindsay Applebaum | February 12, 2010; 6:43 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Roundup , Vancouver 2010
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Good news for Vonn: Training canceled

Nasty weather on the mountain at Whistler forced officials to call off Thursday's downhill training session -- a break for Lindsey Vonn and her injured shin. Barry Svrluga's story on the fortunate cancelation for Vonn is up now. "We are...

By Jon DeNunzio | February 11, 2010; 9:12 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Lindsey Vonn , Skiing
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Lawmaker supports USOC in Phelps flap

The U.S. Olympic Committee said it had secured the backing of the U.S. government in its fight against a Subway advertisement that shows Olympic star Michael Phelps apparently swimming to the Vancouver Winter Games. The USOC has accused Subway--which does...

By Amy Shipley | February 11, 2010; 4:16 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: U.S. Olympic Committee
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Anti-doping violations keep 30 home

More than 30 athletes were prohibited from attending the Winter Games because of anti-doping rule violations, according to World Anti-Doping Agency President John Fahey. The athletes were nabbed through pre-Games testing executed by their national governing bodies or international sports...

By Amy Shipley | February 11, 2010; 3:09 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Doping
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Vonn ready to train after warm-up run

Lindsey Vonn made her warm-up run prior to the first session of downhill training at Whistler Creekside Thursday morning, and according to her husband, she's ready to train despite her shin injury. "She was in pain," Thomas Vonn said. "But...

By Barry Svrluga | February 11, 2010; 1:47 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Lindsey Vonn , Skiing , Vancouver 2010
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Ovechkin video makes us homesick

There are flat screen televisions all over the Main Press Center, which is our second home until Friday, at least. CTV is one of the chosen channels to play all the livelong day, and the network is airing a special...

By Tracee Hamilton | February 11, 2010; 12:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Alex Ovechkin
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Bill Koch is Andy Newell's cross-country inspiration

There's no question who led Andy Newell toward a career in cross-country skier. Newell, the top sprinter on the U.S. roster, is from Vermont, just like Bill Koch, the only American ever to win an Olympic cross-country medal. "He's been...

By Tracee Hamilton | February 11, 2010; 12:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Cross-country skiing , Vancouver 2010
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Team USA by the numbers

Just the facts, ma'am. All right, then, here they are. There are 215 athletes on the U.S. team in Vancouver -- 122 men, 93 women. The big majority of American athletes are in their 20s. Thirty-eight are 30 or older....

By Tracee Hamilton | February 11, 2010; 11:45 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Vonn's injury hurts NBC, too

Many expected Lindsey Vonn to be the American star of the Vancouver Games, columnist Tracee Hamilton writes today. But the injury Vonn revealed Wednesday may change that -- as well as the television ratings potential for NBC. NBC, which has...

By Jon DeNunzio | February 11, 2010; 11:15 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Lindsey Vonn , Skiing , Television
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Luge veteran Grimmette named U.S. flag bearer

Five-time Olympian and two-time Olympic medalist Mark Grimmette, 39, was named the U.S. flag bearer for Friday's Opening Ceremonies of the Vancouver Games late Wednesday night. Grimmette, who competes in doubles luge with partner Brian Martin, won a bronze at...

By Amy Shipley | February 11, 2010; 12:51 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Vancouver 2010
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'Speedy' back for personal redemption

When freestyle aerialist Jeret "Speedy" Peterson got sent home in disgrace from the 2006 Winter Games after getting into a bar fight, it might have been one of the best things that ever happened to him. "It was horrible," Peterson...

By Amy Shipley | February 11, 2010; 12:08 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Freestyle Skiing
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Vonn's husband: "It was like a big blow to her Olympic dreams"

Thomas Vonn is not only Lindsey Vonn's husband - he married the former Lindsey Kildow in 2007 - but he's also a former elite ski racer who reached the Olympics in 2002. He is well-acquainted with the injury his wife...

By Barry Svrluga | February 10, 2010; 9:32 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Lindsey Vonn , Skiing , Vancouver 2010
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Injured Vonn: 'It's hard to stay positive'

American skier Lindsey Vonn, a hopeful for as many as five medals over the next three weeks, said Wednesday morning that there is a possibility she won't be able to compete in the Vancouver Olympics because of a serious shin...

By Barry Svrluga | February 10, 2010; 2:26 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Lindsey Vonn , Skiing
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Freestylers pleased with Cypress Mountain course

The U.S. freestyle team gives rave reviews to the Cypress Mountain course after training runs Monday night and Tuesday afternoon. The course had to be supplemented with trucked-in snow and hay after less-than-expected snowfall, but skiers say it should be...

By Tracee Hamilton | February 10, 2010; 11:30 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Lindsey Vonn injured, doubtful for first event

The first major news of the Olympics comes even before the Olympics begin. Lindsey Vonn, the alpine skier who is expected to be the featured performer on the American team and perhaps the star of the Games, revealed Wednesday morning...

By Barry Svrluga | February 10, 2010; 9:06 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Lindsey Vonn , Skiing
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Vancouver earns high marks for Green Games

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge on Tuesday praised Vancouver for putting forward a green Olympic Games, saying a socially and environmentally conscious organizing committee had provided a "blueprint" for future Olympics. Rogge, who spoke at the opening of an...

By Amy Shipley | February 10, 2010; 12:30 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Vancouver 2010
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Heavy Medal: February 7, 2010 - February 13, 2010