The first week of the Olympics were disappointing for Coloradans, some of whom were injured in practice runs and didn't get to compete.
But Mikaela Shiffrin's gold medal-winning performance in the women's slalom race on Friday made up for all that. She also completed Colorado's sweep of the podium. Well, sort of.
Shiffrin's gold joined Telluride, Colo., resident Gus Kenworthy's silver medal in ski slopestyle, and Alex Deibold's bronze medal in snowboard cross. Deibold lives in Boulder, Colo., though he grew up in Vermont.
Those three medals weren't the only highlights for Colorado competitors at the Winter Games in Sochi.
Steamboat's Todd Lodwick was chosen by his American teammates to be the flag-bearer for the U.S. in the opening ceremony. Lodwick was the elder statesman of the event for the Americans, competing in his sixth Olympics.
Other Coloradans whose Sochi Games were cut short will hope to replicate, or at least approximate, Lodwick's longevity and make it to the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea.
Moguls skier Heidi Kloser, of Vail, Colo., and snowboarder Arielle Gold, of Steamboat Springs, Colo., were both injured in their training runs in Sochi and weren't able to compete. Both women are young -- 21 and 17, respectively -- so there's a good chance these won't be their last Olympic experiences.
For other Coloradans, just making it to Sochi was notable. Biathlete Lanny Barnes competed only because her twin sister, Tracy Barnes, gave up her spot on the team so Lanny would make it. Snowboard racer Justin Reiter lived out of his car while he trained for the games. And Lodwick overcame a devastating shoulder injury he got while ski-jumping in December, 2013.
Complete results for Coloradans who competed for Team USA in 2014 Winter Olympics:
- Jeremy Abbott, Aspen, figure skating. Finished 12th in the men's individual competition; shared bronze medal in the team competition.
- Lanny Barnes, Durango, biathalon. Finished 64th in the women's individual 15 km.
- Aaron Blunck, Crested Butte, freeskiing. Finished 7th in the men's ski halfpipe.
- Bobby Brown, Denver, freeskiing. Finished 9th in the men's ski slopestyle.
- David Chodounsky, Crested Butte, alpine skiing. Competed in men's slalom ski race but did not finish.
- Lyman Currier, Boulder, freeskiing. Finished 28th in men's ski halfpipe.
- Alex Diebold, Boulder, snowboard cross. Won bronze medal in men's snowboard cross.
- Bryan Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, Nordic combined skiing. Shared 6th in men's team competition; finished 22nd in men's large hill/10km individual and 26th in men's normal hill/10km individual.
- Taylor Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, Nordic combined skiing. Shared 6th in men's team competition; finished 20th in men's large hill/10km individual and 33rd in men's normal hill/10 km individual.
- Arielle Gold, Steamboat Springs, snowboard halfpipe. Injured in training; did not compete in women's snowboard halpipe.
- Taylor Gold, Steamboat Springs, snowboard halfpipe. Finished 14th in men's snowboard halfpipe.
- Simi Hamilton, Aspen, cross country skiing. Finished 6th in men's team sprint classic and 11th in men's 4x10k relay.
- Keri Herman, Breckenridge, ski slopestyle. Finished 10th in women's ski slopestyle.
- Noah Hoffman, Aspen, cross country skiing. Finished 11th in men's 4x10k relay; 31st in men's 15km classic; 35th in men's skiathlon 30km and 26th in men's 50km freestyle.
- Gus Kenworthy, Telluride, freeskiing. Won silver medal in men's ski slopestyle.
- Heidi Kloser, Vail, freestyle skiing. Injured in training; did not compete in women's freestyle skiing.
- Todd Lodwick, Steamboat Springs, Nordic combined skiing. Shared 6th in men's team competition; did not finish men's individual large hill or men's individual normal hill.
- Justin Reiter, Steamboat Springs, alpine snowboarding. Finished 24th in men's parallel giant slalom.
- Mikaela Shiffrin, Eagle-Vail, alpine skiing. Won gold medal in women's slalom race; finished 5th in women's giant slalom race.
- Paul Stastny, Denver, hockey. USA finished 4th in men's hockey tournament.
- Torin Yater-Wallace, Basalt, freeskiing. Finished 26th in men's ski halfpipe.
