The Olympic Winter Games start on February 7th and the United States has high expectations. When it comes to Summer, the U.S. has won 2,400 medals overall making it the top country for most medals. In the winter, however, the U.S. has 253 medals second to Norway’s 303. This year you can bet that the United States will work towards narrowing that gap.
Despite all these medals, the U.S. still has yet to win gold in every event. In one event, the biathlon, the U.S. hasn’t medaled in at all but will see its best chance at one in years, Tim Burke. Having already won a world championship in the event just last year, the odds are in Burke’s favor and the country will be behind him every step of the way. The U.S. has also never won Olympic gold in ski jumping, luge, cross-country skiing or curling. Perhaps this year America can get a surprise victory in one of these events.To add to the opportunity and excitement, this years games will see new events all together. The Olympic games will see for the first time ski slopestyle, snowboard slopestyle, mixed parallel snowboard slalom, women’s ski jumping, ski halfpipe, team-relay luge, mixed-relay biathlon and mixed-team figure skating.
Though there are many events to watch, there are few as popular as hockey. Not only are the games in Russia, but the Russians haven’t won a gold medal in men’s hockey since 1992 so you can expect they will be desperate to win. In women’s hockey the United States has been beaten by Canada the past 3 Olympics. Perhaps this time team USA could finally be top of the podium this year.
Last but not least, the world will see the return of Shaun White. Not many athletes have dominated their sport like he has and the defending two-time champ of men’s snowboard halfpipe is favorited to win again. At these games one can be sure that the world will be looking to change that. It’ll surely be an exciting turn of events.