Ranking the Best Performances Thus Far at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Nearing the halfway point, Sochi already has seen a flurry of intriguing storylines, heartbreaking losses, against-the-odds triumphs and validating victories. Though some of the most anticipated events—men’s hockey, men’s and women’s figure skating—are still to come, 24 countries have already produced champions.
The Olympics are all about man (or woman) meeting moment, and these competitors have put up flawless displays of athleticism, throwing down their best on the biggest stage.
Some lived up to the expectations and confirmed themselves as champions—Jamie Anderson, Natalie Geisenberger, Ole Einar Bjoerndalen. Others have been dark-horse wins, as with Stefan Groothuis, Kaitlyn Farrington and Iouri Podladtchikov.
In all cases, these athletes have shown why they are the best in the world.
Honorable Mention: Eric Frenzel
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German Eric Frenzel took home his first Olympic gold Wednesday, winning the men’s Nordic combined individual normal hill (an event combining ski jumping and a 10-kilometer cross country race).
Frenzel came to Sochi as the reigning World Cup champion and began the cross country portion of the event with a six-second lead after jumping 103 meters in the ski jump portion event earlier that day.
The 25-year-old now holds a 352-point lead on the season, winning seven of his last 11 events.
Honorable Mention: Jamie Anderson
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The Rosa Khutor Extreme Park course has claimed its fair share of victims this week, but Jamie Anderson conquered the difficult run to claim her first Olympic medal.
The favorite heading into the event, Anderson delivered in the big moment, making up for a middling first run with a 92.25 score in the second to post a six-point lead over silver-medalist Enni Rukajarvi.
“There was so much anticipation leading up to this event, and I just had to calm my mind and have the trust and faith that I was capable of doing what I really wanted to do,” Anderson said after the event (via espnW’s Alyssa Roenigk). “I saw myself landing my run and the happiness of my family and all their love and support.”
Honorable Mention: Matthias Mayer
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The men’s downhill produced another surprise winner this year in Matthias Mayer. Though Bode Miller was the overwhelming favorite heading into the event, the Austrian pulled off an amazing upset win.
The 23-year-old had never placed better than fifth in downhill at a World Cup and though Mayer won one of three training sessions (Miller won the other two), his win still was one of the bigger surprises of the Games so far.
“This is unbelievable,” Mayer said on Sunday (via USA Today). “I woke up this morning and I knew that I could win this race. I was smiling the whole day, all throughout inspection. It was my day today.”
Mayer barely snuck past Christof Innerhofer in second, beating out the Italian by a margin of 0.06 seconds.
Both Mayer and Miller are slated to compete in the men’s super combined event beginning Friday.
See Mayer’s reaction following his downhill win here.
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Honorable Mention: Kaitlyn Farrington
4 of 9Most gold medalists don’t have to fight through qualifying rounds to make it to the top of the podium, but newly-minted halfpipe championed Kaitlyn Farrington did things the hard way Wednesday.
Farrington took out three former Olympic champions: Torah Bright, Hannah Teter and Kelly Clark en route to the gold, relegating Bright to second by .25 points.
“I was hoping to make finals and that was kind of my main goal,” Farrington said after Wednesday’s win (via the Los Angeles Times). “So to come out on top, I just can't believe it.”
5. Stefan Groothuis
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American Shani Davis was the man to watch heading into the men’s 1,000-meter speed skate, as Davis was attempting to become the first male speedskater to win gold at three consecutive Games. Not on Stefan Groothuis’s watch.
The 32-year-old Dutchman became the oldest gold medalist in the event Wednesday, finishing just over one second in front of Davis at No. 8 and giving the Dutch their 10th medal in speedskating out of a possible 15 medals. The Dutch are on track to become the most decorated country in the sport at a single Olympics since the 1988 Calgary Games.
Though Groothuis competed in the 2010 Games in Vancouver, he came down with a fever a few weeks before competition, essentially taking him our of contention before the Olympics even started.
Groothuis, who overcame a severe bout with depression before making his way back to the world stage, has another chance to medal as he will compete in the 1,500-meter race Saturday.
4. Iouri Podladtchikov
6 of 9One of the biggest stories in Sochi so far has been Shaun White’s failure to medal in the men’s halfpipe, but take nothing away from Iouri Podladtchikov.
The Swiss boarder completed an outstanding run that featured a trick involving two head-over-heels flips and two 360-degree turns and scoring 94.75 points on his second run.
After his win, Podladtchikov had nothing but praise for White, who leaves Sochi without a medal. “He goes bigger than everyone, he’s more technical than anyone, he always tries to be ahead of everyone else, and I think that alone is very impressive,” Podladtchikov said on TODAY on Wednesday. “It just motivates me.”
3. German Lugers
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In luge, there are the Germans and everyone else. The Deutsch team has continued to dominate in Sochi, with defending men’s champion Felix Loch taking home his second gold on Sunday.
Natalie Geisenberger won the women’s title Tuesday by the second-largest margin in Olympic history, posting a final time 1.139 second better than her compatriot Tatjana Huefner in second.
Since the sport’s induction in 1964, the Germans have won 20 gold medals out of a possible 28. Tobias Arlt and Tobias Wendl joined their compatriots at the top of the podium Wednesday after a victory in the men’s luge doubles.
The Germans will have another opportunity to medal at the team relay competition Thursday.
See Loch’s reaction to his win at The Guardian.
2. Russian Figure Skaters
8 of 9The Russian figure skaters have been on fire this week, kicking their run off with a win in the inaugural team event Sunday.
Though she will not skate in the women’s individual event for nearly a week, 15-year-old Yulia Lipnitskaya generated a huge amount of buzz following her incredible performance in the team event, becoming the youngest athlete to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics and posting a 141.5-point performance in the free skate.
On Wednesday, Maxim Trankov and Tatiana Volosozhar took home the gold medal in the pairs skating event, dominating the competition with a score of 152.69 in the free skate.
The duo led the pack by nearly five points after the short program Tuesday, and their final score was almost 20 points higher than compatriots Fedor Klimov and Ksenia Stolbova, who finished second.
1. Ole Einar Bjoerndalen
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In case you haven’t been keeping up with the men’s biathalon, here's only one name you need to know: Ole Einar Bjoerndalen.
The 40-year-old Norwegian won a record-equaling 12th Winter Games medal after taking home the gold in the men’s biathalon sprint Saturday, his first individual win in nearly two years. Bjoerndalen also became the oldest Winter Games gold medalist in history.
Monday saw a more disappointing performance for Bjoerndalen, who finished fourth in the 12.5-kilometer pursuit and failed to pick up his record-breaking 13th medal. But Bjoerndalen’s pursuit of history is not over.
Bjorn Daehlie currently co-holds the record for most medals (though Daehlie has eight golds to Bjoerndalen’s seven) and Bjoerndalen will look to become the most decorated Winter Olympian in the men’s individual 20-kilometer event Thursday.
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