SAM Magazine—Sochi, Russia, Feb. 24, 2014—A record-matching 17 Team USA skiers and snowboarders left the Sochi Olympic Winter Games with medals, including a record eight gold in on-snow events. Of course, it helped that there were more events for skiers and snowboarders—a total of 30 in all, including new slopestyle and ski halfpipe competitions.

SAM Magazine—Sochi, Russia, Feb. 24, 2014—A record-matching 17 Team USA skiers and snowboarders left the Sochi Olympic Winter Games with medals, including a record eight gold in on-snow events. Of course, it helped that there were more events for skiers and snowboarders—a total of 30 in all, including new slopestyle and ski halfpipe competitions.

From Sage Kotsenburg's opening-day slopestyle snowboarding gold to Mikaela Shiffrin's brilliant slalom win, 17 different competitors earned a total of 18 medals in skiing and snowboarding. That was nearly two-thirds of all U.S. medals won, including 8 of the 9 gold medals won by U.S. athletes. That was the greatest number of gold medals won on snow by U.S. athletes, topping the six won in 2010 in Vancouver.

U.S. performances were punctuated by five athletes winning alpine medals, including gold medals by Ted Ligety (giant slalom) and Shiffrin. Bode Miller won bronze in super G, his sixth Olympic medal and the most ever by a U.S. skier, and Julia Mancuso extended her record for the most Olympic medals by a U.S. woman skier or snowboarder, four, with bronze in the super combined.

In addition, U.S. skiers and riders took eight of 18 medals in new freeskiing and snowboarding events. U.S. skiers and riders took six of 12 medals, including three of four gold, in the men's and women's ski halfpipe and slopestyle. The U.S. men swept the medals in ski slopestyle. In snowboarding slopestyle, U.S. riders took both the men's and women's gold medals.

In the more established snowboarding events, Kaitlyn Farrington took gold in halfpipe, while Kelly Clark captured the bronze. And in snowboardcross, Alex Deibold survived to earn the bronze.

“We brought a team that was well prepared to compete for medals with athletes who distinguished themselves as outstanding Olympians,” said Bill Marolt, President and CEO, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. “The new events in freeskiing and snowboarding were a positive addition. The mix of great performances from our sport heroes plus the introduction of new stars will inspire a new generation of Olympians.”

The medalists:

Alpine Skiing

Gold: Ted Ligety, giant slalom

Gold: Mikaela Shiffrin, slalom

Silver: Andrew Weibrecht, super G

Bronze: Julia Mancuso, super combined

Bronze: Bode Miller, super G

Freeskiing/Freestyle

Gold: Joss Christensen, slopestyle

Gold: Maddie Bowman, halfpipe

Gold: David Wise, halfpipe

Silver: Gus Kenworthy, slopestyle

Silver: Devin Logan, slopestyle

Bronze: Nick Goepper, slopestyle

Bronze: Hannah Kearney, moguls

Snowboarding

Gold: Jamie Anderson, slopestyle

Gold: Kaitlyn Farrington, halfpipe

Gold: Sage Kotsenburg, slopestyle

Bronze: Kelly Clark, halfpipe

Bronze: Alex Deibold, snowboardcross

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