U.S. travels a tougher road in Turin
08:52 PM CST on Friday, February 17, 2006
TURIN, Italy – When Italy eliminated the U.S. men's team pursuit speedskaters Wednesday, the Yanks got a taste of what their competition was up against at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Buoyed by the home crowd's cheers, the Italians went on to win the gold medal in the debut Olympic event Thursday. As the Games generally go, there's no place like home for boosting a nation's medal haul. The U.S. team, which won a record 34 medals four years ago in Utah, finds itself somewhat out of its element in Turin. The U.S. has won 10 medals, including six golds, after seven days of competition. There are 141 medals still to be awarded with nine days of competition remaining. That's good in the sense that the U.S. record for medals won in Winter Games held outside the country is 13. But that's not so good in light of the Salt Lake City record-setting performance, though U.S. Olympic Committee officials said they were pleased. "We feel we're off to a good start," U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman Darryl Seibel said. "We've had a few bumps and bruises, but that's the nature of sport. We've had some surprises, some good, others not." Norway led with 13 medals, followed by Russia, Canada and Germany with 11 each. Next was the U.S., but no nation had won more gold medals. Italy, traditionally not a Winter Games power, has won five medals. Friday was another tough day for the U.S. The latest setback was a loss to Sweden in the women's hockey semifinals. The U.S., silver medalist in 2002, lost in a shootout and will play for the bronze Monday. In skeleton, the U.S. was shut out of the medals after winning three in Salt Lake City. Another disappointment was Lindsey Jacobellis' collapse in the snowboard cross final. She appeared on her way to a runaway victory when she grabbed her board on a jump, fell and was passed by Switzerland's Tanja Frieden. Jacobellis won the silver. "I was caught up in the moment," Jacobellis said. The Americans appeared ready to roll in Turin when Texas speedskater Chad Hedrick opened the U.S. scoring with a gold medal on the first day of competition Saturday. Some of the faces and races exalted in the pre-Olympic fanfare vanished or fizzled. Michelle Kwan withdrew because of a groin injury Sunday. Heralded contenders, including Alpine skier Bode Miller, moguls skier Jeremy Bloom and short track star Apolo Anton Ohno, came up empty, though Miller and Ohno have more races ahead. Snowboard – which wasn't part of the Olympic program until 1998 – again has proved a bonanza for the U.S., which has captured six medals (three gold) in the sport so far. The parallel giant slalom events are next week. "It's aweseome. I mean, I want everybody to do well," said Peter Foley, U.S. snowboard coach. "But I'm really happy we were successful. It's what I planned. I told my bosses we could get six, and that's what we have." Crashes that have injured skiers and luge athletes have overshadowed the drug angle so far. A biathlete from Russia was stripped of her silver medal Thursday after she tested positive for a banned substance. Lindsey Kildow, a medal contender in the downhill who finished eighth, raced two days after she crashed during a Monday training run. Miller, the New Hampshire-born nonconformist whose remarks about racing while "wasted" and on other topics stirred controversies, did not win a medal in the downhill or the combined event. He was leading the combined when he was disqualified for skiing over a gate. "He skis on the edge," Seibel said. "He's as likely to finish on the podium as not, given his style." In a break with tradition, USOC officials declined to set a medals target for Turin. Statistics did not favor the nation's chance of matching its Salt Lake City medal count. In a Winter Games immediately following a home site for a nation, that country historically has fallen off by 41 percent in medals, according to USOC research. If that percentage were to hold, the U.S. would capture 20 medals in Turin. The team's current pace has it closer to 30. Hedrick, of Spring, Texas, could win three more gold medals on a long track speedskating team with additional medal contenders. The U.S. has strong medal shots in events to come, including short track, figure skating, freestyle aerials and bobsled. Seibel said that officials hope for the best while knowing they are not alone. "Every nation is bringing their best athletes," he said. "This is the Olympic Games." Staff Writer Ken Stephens contributed to this report. E-mail charasta@dallasnews.com 