KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia — See you in Pyeongchang. Now that the 2014
Winter Olympics have come to a close, the IOC moves its focus to the
next cold-weather spectacle in South Korea in 2018. During these two
weeks in Russia, we've seen a number of storylines that will likely
continue into those Games (Mikaela Shiffrin, the U.S.-Canada hockey
rivalry). Some storylines represent the end of an era (Bode Miller) and
ones that will remain unique to this very memorable host
(#sochiproblems).
THEY SAID IT: Best quotes from the Olympics
As we head out of Sochi and return to our usual scheduled programming of NCAA March Madness, NBA and NHL regular season games and MLB spring training, let's take a final look at the 14 moments that we'll remember most from the 2014 Winter Olympics.
FTW: 10 memorable moments
The four Olympic rings (and an asterisk)
After months of reports questioning Russia's readiness to host the Games the host spent $50 billion to produce, the country was determined to make a bold statement during the opening ceremony at Fisht Stadium.
Then the fifth Olympic ring failed to show up.
Five giant illuminated snowflakes were supposed to morph into the Olympic rings, but the final one failed to make that transition, leading to one of the most visible early #sochiproblems. (That's the Twitter hashtag used throughout the Games if you haven't been paying attention.)
SENSE OF HUMOR: Opening ceremony director pokes fun
The mishap was just one small part of an otherwise well-executed welcome to the Games. In addition to the parade of nations, the three-hour ceremony featured a ballet rendition of War and Peace, glow in the dark dancers spinning to Swan Lake, a program saluting Russian history and yes, president Vladimir Putin's rumored girlfriend as one of the torchbearers.
Olympians adopting lots of stray puppies
U.S. slopestyle skier Gus Kenworthy is bringing home more than his silver medal from Sochi. The 22-year-old Colorado resident scored a 10 from adoring fans stateside when he announced his plan to adopt five stray dogs found at the Gorki Press Center in the mountain cluster. Kenworthy posted a photo of himself cuddling with one of the two puppies he'll keep, while his mother and brothers will each keep one of the other dogs.
Snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis took one back to the U.S. with her and hockey player David Backes and his wife were also working behind the scenes to find American homes for other rescued pups.
Unlike Kenworthy, luger Kate Hansen didn't bring her Sochi stray back to the States with her. It didn't exist. The wolf she reportedly filmed roaming the halls of her hotel room was part of a hoax she collaborated on with late night host Jimmy Kimmel. USA Luge officials, who condemned the prank in a statement, didn't find it quite as funny.
Abbott does his best Tupac impersonation
Johnny Cash, Tupac Shakur, Johnny Rotten. Jeremy Abbott? The 28-year-old figure skater did his best to channel those anti-authoritarian figures when addressing the media following his final Olympic performance, where he finished 12th in the free skate the night after a spectacular crash in the short program. Asked about his propensity to come up short at big international events, Abbott let it fly.
"You know I just want to put my middle finger in the air and say a big, 'F-U,' to everyone who's ever said that to me. Because they've never stood in my shoes, and they've never had to do what I had to do. Nobody has to stand center ice in front of a million people and put an entire career on the line for eight minutes of their life when they've been doing it for 20 some years. And if you think that's not hard then you're a damn idiot."
The awesomeness of the Dufour-Lapointe family
It's an amazing feat to win an Olympic medal. It's even more incredible when two siblings can place first and second in their event. That's what happened to the Dufour-Lapointe sisters of Montreal, as Justine, 19, and Chloe, 22, stood atop the podium holding hands after winning gold and silver respectively in the women's moguls. Older sister Maxime placed 12th.
It got a little misty in the spectator area at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park – and not from the spraying powder – when the trio's mom, Johane Dufour, and dad, Yves Lapointe, realized that their two youngest daughters had become Olympic medalists.
"I'm so happy for my three daughters, all three Olympians, two medals at home. Incredible. I'm so anxious to grab and kiss them. I haven't had a chance the last three weeks, so bring me my babies!" Dufour exclaimed.
American-born snowboarder wins gold medal for Russia, right after his wife won bronze
Washington native Vic Wild says he wasn't getting the financial and logistical support he needed from the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association to continue in the sport, so the alpine snowboarder became a Russian citizen after marrying fellow snowboarder Alena Zavarzina in 2011. Wild's decision paid off, as he won the men's parallel giant slalom just moments after Zavarzina took bronze in the women's event.
The most poignant part? One of Wild's best friends and former U.S. teammates cheering him on as he did it. Justin Reiter, the only U.S. competitor in the event, has had to live out of his truck at times to finance his participation in the sport.
"This is a kid that sacrificed everything to get what he wanted," Reiter said. "He has the support of a country behind him, and he never stopped working. A lot of people would get that foundation they need to support their dreams and then back off, with Vic it just made him hungrier, made him work harder and be more persistent. He had so much pressure coming into these Games, because he's an investment for this country. He had to perform, and now he's the Olympic champion."
After winning the parallel slalom event Saturday, he's a two-time Olympic champion.
THEY SAID IT: Best quotes from the Olympics
As we head out of Sochi and return to our usual scheduled programming of NCAA March Madness, NBA and NHL regular season games and MLB spring training, let's take a final look at the 14 moments that we'll remember most from the 2014 Winter Olympics.
FTW: 10 memorable moments
The four Olympic rings (and an asterisk)
After months of reports questioning Russia's readiness to host the Games the host spent $50 billion to produce, the country was determined to make a bold statement during the opening ceremony at Fisht Stadium.
Then the fifth Olympic ring failed to show up.
Five giant illuminated snowflakes were supposed to morph into the Olympic rings, but the final one failed to make that transition, leading to one of the most visible early #sochiproblems. (That's the Twitter hashtag used throughout the Games if you haven't been paying attention.)
SENSE OF HUMOR: Opening ceremony director pokes fun
The mishap was just one small part of an otherwise well-executed welcome to the Games. In addition to the parade of nations, the three-hour ceremony featured a ballet rendition of War and Peace, glow in the dark dancers spinning to Swan Lake, a program saluting Russian history and yes, president Vladimir Putin's rumored girlfriend as one of the torchbearers.
Olympians adopting lots of stray puppies
U.S. slopestyle skier Gus Kenworthy is bringing home more than his silver medal from Sochi. The 22-year-old Colorado resident scored a 10 from adoring fans stateside when he announced his plan to adopt five stray dogs found at the Gorki Press Center in the mountain cluster. Kenworthy posted a photo of himself cuddling with one of the two puppies he'll keep, while his mother and brothers will each keep one of the other dogs.
Snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis took one back to the U.S. with her and hockey player David Backes and his wife were also working behind the scenes to find American homes for other rescued pups.
Unlike Kenworthy, luger Kate Hansen didn't bring her Sochi stray back to the States with her. It didn't exist. The wolf she reportedly filmed roaming the halls of her hotel room was part of a hoax she collaborated on with late night host Jimmy Kimmel. USA Luge officials, who condemned the prank in a statement, didn't find it quite as funny.
Johnny Cash, Tupac Shakur, Johnny Rotten. Jeremy Abbott? The 28-year-old figure skater did his best to channel those anti-authoritarian figures when addressing the media following his final Olympic performance, where he finished 12th in the free skate the night after a spectacular crash in the short program. Asked about his propensity to come up short at big international events, Abbott let it fly.
"You know I just want to put my middle finger in the air and say a big, 'F-U,' to everyone who's ever said that to me. Because they've never stood in my shoes, and they've never had to do what I had to do. Nobody has to stand center ice in front of a million people and put an entire career on the line for eight minutes of their life when they've been doing it for 20 some years. And if you think that's not hard then you're a damn idiot."
The awesomeness of the Dufour-Lapointe family
It's an amazing feat to win an Olympic medal. It's even more incredible when two siblings can place first and second in their event. That's what happened to the Dufour-Lapointe sisters of Montreal, as Justine, 19, and Chloe, 22, stood atop the podium holding hands after winning gold and silver respectively in the women's moguls. Older sister Maxime placed 12th.
It got a little misty in the spectator area at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park – and not from the spraying powder – when the trio's mom, Johane Dufour, and dad, Yves Lapointe, realized that their two youngest daughters had become Olympic medalists.
"I'm so happy for my three daughters, all three Olympians, two medals at home. Incredible. I'm so anxious to grab and kiss them. I haven't had a chance the last three weeks, so bring me my babies!" Dufour exclaimed.
American-born snowboarder wins gold medal for Russia, right after his wife won bronze
Washington native Vic Wild says he wasn't getting the financial and logistical support he needed from the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association to continue in the sport, so the alpine snowboarder became a Russian citizen after marrying fellow snowboarder Alena Zavarzina in 2011. Wild's decision paid off, as he won the men's parallel giant slalom just moments after Zavarzina took bronze in the women's event.
The most poignant part? One of Wild's best friends and former U.S. teammates cheering him on as he did it. Justin Reiter, the only U.S. competitor in the event, has had to live out of his truck at times to finance his participation in the sport.
"This is a kid that sacrificed everything to get what he wanted," Reiter said. "He has the support of a country behind him, and he never stopped working. A lot of people would get that foundation they need to support their dreams and then back off, with Vic it just made him hungrier, made him work harder and be more persistent. He had so much pressure coming into these Games, because he's an investment for this country. He had to perform, and now he's the Olympic champion."
After winning the parallel slalom event Saturday, he's a two-time Olympic champion.
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