SNOWBASIN ? With one exception, the U.S. Ski Team, with more than half of the alpine medals awarded, has yet to see that "Olympic run."
The one exception was a race-saving run by Bode Miller. He struggled in the downhill and the first run of the slalom in the men's combined on Wednesday but unleashed a silver-medal run on his second slalom run. If the U.S. team were to stop now, that single run will have made these Games a success.
The rest of the front-line forces have turned in a series of "disappointments."
Daron Rahlves was expected to do well in the downhill and, most assuredly, the super-G. He finished 16th in the downhill and in the super-G, the race he wanted more than anything, he was eighth.
Struggling with his emotions, he admitted he was "too conservative" and was "extremely disappointed" to be leaving Salt Lake City without a medal.
Casey Puckett, in what is likely his last Olympics and possibly his last season, was expected to do well in the combined. He finished the downhill, but fell on the first run of the slalom. He, too, talked about his disappointment at not doing well before the American fans.
Caroline Lalive brought big hopes of medaling in one of her three events. What she forgot to bring was her concentration. In her three events she had three very "nondescript" falls. She fell early in the downhill, skied out of the course on the first run in the combined and lasted only 13 seconds in the super-G.
Kristen Clark was considered a contender in the women's super-G. She made a number of mistakes, however, and finished 14th. She, too, talked about her disappointment.
The high points have all come from the younger racers.
Marco Sullivan, at 21 one of the youngest skiers on the hill, put down the best run of this career and was ninth in the downhill.
Thomas Vonn, another of the young skiers, finished ninth in the super-G.
Two 17-year-olds, Lindsey Kildow and Julia Mancuso, did well in the combined. Kildow was sixth and Mancuso 13th. Two more youngsters, Jonna Mendes and Kathleen Monahan, were 16th and 17th in the super-G.
Monahan best summed up these races when, in talking about Lalive's problems, she said: "Whenever you get into one of these ruts, day after day, eventually it wears you down to a point you almost stop caring. Then, all the sudden, BAM, a good result comes again . . . About the time you think you lost it all, something happens and you're back in the game. You can never give up. Hopefully, we can help her through this."
With four events remaining ? giant slalom and slalom ? the U.S. has two definite medal contenders ? Miller and Kristina Koznick.
Miller, as he has shown already, is more than capable of uncorking a gold-medal run in both. Koznick, too, is considered a medal threat in the technical events. First up will be the women's slalom on Wednesday at Deer Valley.
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