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Did you watch the Winter Olympics in Milan? I did—from breakfast until bedtime. The TV was background noise, but when something caught my attention, I stopped and watched.  I wanted to write about it then, but I was in the middle of another post. When the Olympics ended, I found some great articles I decided to write about. Here are the two source links for this post:
Part 1: The Seven Best Moments (Source #2), Plus My Comments #7. How the US Women’s Hockey Team Won Gold  The first line from the article said it wasn’t a surprise. I disagree. The US won the first six games by wide margins. They even beat Canada 5-0 in an earlier match. Canada has won 5 of the last 7 gold medal matches; the US, only 2. So after losing, I knew Canada would be out for blood, and gold. They were! With 2 minutes left, Canada led, 1-0. That’s when Hilary Knight scored the tying goal. I missed the game but watched the overtime. That’s when Megan Keller scored the gold medal winning goal. It was an incredible moment…watching the thrill of victory for the Americans, and the agony of defeat for the Canadians. #6. Jessie Diggins Skis Through 10 Kilometers of Rib Pain to Win a Bronze Medal  On the 2nd day of the Games, Jesse fell during the skiathlon and bruised her lower ribs. She pulled herself up, pushed through the pain, and still finished 8th in the event. Despite rib pain and trouble breathing, Jesse kept skiing. She refused to listen to the doctors. They said it could get worse. even cause long-term problems, but this was her last Olympics. Jesse competed in multiple events, including the individual sprints. This time she only made it to the quarterfinals. In her last race, Jesse took on the women’s 10 km freestyle. That’s about 6-1/4 miles. Imagine skiing each one struggling to breathe, with aching ribs, but Jesse pushed to the finish. Then like everyone else, she collapsed, exhausted. Jessie fought the pain, earning herself 3rd place and the bronze medal. #5. On His Last Olympic Run, Alex Ferreira Wins His First Gold Medal  This is Alex’s fourth Olympics. He’s already won bronze and silver, but Milan was his last chance to win gold in the halfpipe. He sat in fifth place after two runs. With one last try, he’d be lucky to medal. Winning gold—seemed out of reach. Then Alex laid down his best run ever…GOLD! How? He repeated the words he always says before take-off. “I am greatness, and this is my moment. I can feel it in my bone marrow.” This time Alex must have thrown his heart, his body, and his soul into that jump. It worked! #4. Elana Meyers Taylor Wins Gold—For Her Deaf Toddler Boys  At 41, Elana was entering her fifth Olympics in bobsled. She’s won five medals, but never gold. This time she did, by .04 or 4/100 of a second. That’s fast! How fast?! I tried starting my stopwatch and stopping it right away. The best I could do was .4 or 4/10 of a second. Too slow! At that rate I wouldn’t have medaled or been in the top ten. Try it! See how you do! Not only did Elana take home the gold, she’s now the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympics history. Impressive, but that’s not what really matters to her. Elana said, “Parenting my two sons with disabilities has done everything for me.” Winning medals doesn’t matter—being a mom does. The best part of winning, hugging and celebrating her golden moment with them, in real time. #3. Corinne Stoddard Posted About Falls—Then Stayed Up For Bronze  Have you ever fallen in front of the WHOLE world? Me, thankfully no. Corrinne Stoddard has…. a staggering 4 times during the Milan Olympics. After choking and falling so many times, Corrine wrote on Instagram how embarrassed she felt about handling her own expectations. NBC sports announcer Ted Robinson said anyone who’s raced short track has lived through falls, and what’s even worse—fear of them. Redemption came in her last race, the 1500 meter. Corinne not only stayed on her feet—she won bronze. Long before the Milan games, Corrine talked about her struggle with anxiety and insomnia. I’m so glad she had that last race, beat her fears, and medaled. Tomorrow: the top two events #2. Alysa Liu Skates the Program of Her Life  Imagine taking two years off because you burned out from skating; then coming back and winning the gold medal! That’s exactly what Alysa Liu did. It’s an impossible dream, but she made it look easy! Alysa is as unique as her hair. It’s fun, and that’s what she was missing. At age 13 she became the youngest World Champion skater ever, and 7 years later she quit. She couldn’t take the rigid structure— having a coach dictate her life. Teens hate that. Alysa lost sight of why she started skating. I’m glad she found her way back again and skated for herself, and for us too! Her performance, pure joy! #1. How the US Men’s Hockey Team Won Gold The men haven’t been dominant like the women’s team. They haven’t won gold since the Miracle on Ice game in 1980. I watched, and so did everyone in the country. It was a HUGE moment, American college kids beating the practically professional Soviet team. The 2026 game was on the last day of the Olympics, on the anniversary of the Miracle. I missed everything but overtime. Both teams, Canadian and American, skated like their national pride depended on it. Play was fast and furious!  I didn’t see Jack Hughes shoot the winning goal, or lose two teeth, but I saw the response. Every American player threw their stick up in joy. Then they all crashed into a Plexiglas wall. Thank goodness it stayed up! Then the camera turned toward the Canadians who just realized their medal would be silver. If you’d like to see images of Team USA, click the link below. There’s a photo that makes me tear up. Scan down and find two toddlers. Their father, Johnny Gaudreau, played with many on this squad, but two years ago he and his brother Matthew were killed by a drunk driver. Johnny’s teammates didn’t forget. They hung his jersey in the Olympic locker room, and it’s in the photo alongside his toddlers. It was an incredible game for Team USA and an incredible photo for Johnny’s teammates and the Gaudreau family. Link https://www.si.com/winter-olympics/team-usa-gold-medal-mens-hockey-win-sports-illustrated-best-photos Another Source with a Different Opinion on the #1 Moment  Source #1 said this “was a sensational Olympics for the US by nearly every measure. But one stood out.” Can you tell it wasn’t the men’s hockey team, and that it was Alysa Liu?
They said it was an indelible moment, that Alysa broke the mold of what an ‘ice princess’ should be when she showed no sign of fear. She floated across the ice to “MacArthur Park”, looking as if every single moment was pure joy. Alysa proved that sports don’t have to be stressful or serious. MacArthur Park is a little silly but lots of fun. Like Alysa. I don’t know how she handled the pressure, but she inspired everyone with her skating. And by the choices she made to get here. To this Olympics and her first gold medal.
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AuthorWhen I write, I can only have one voice in my head, mine. A little noise is fine. But too much, or worse yet, WORDS, and I must change rooms or pull out headphones. Then I can write on! Categories
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