Around the world in sports
Olympics in Turin come to an end, top 10 memorable events
Issue date: 2/27/06 Section: Sports
TURIN, Italy (KRT) - Arrivederci, Torino.
The 2006 Winter Olympics officially ended Sunday night with a Fellini-esque closing ceremony. Time for the 2,500 athletes to pack up their loot, head home and slide off the American sports radar.
But first, for the fans who want to reminisce, and the ones who didn't tune in and want a cheat sheet, here's a look at 10 moments that will be frozen in time.
1. One of the biggest stories of the Olympics was about an athlete who didn't compete (and we don't mean Bode Miller).
Five-time world figure skating champion Michelle Kwan petitioned for a spot on the U.S. team after skipping the national championships with a groin injury, bumping Emily Hughes from the squad.
Kwan insisted she was ready to compete when she arrived in Turin, but she cut her first practice short after struggling to land the triple flip, and a day later decided to withdraw. She will go down as the best skater never to win an Olympic gold medal.
She was misty-eyed but kept things in perspective. "I tried my hardest. And if I don't win the gold, it's OK. I've had a great career. I've been very lucky. This is a sport, and it's beautiful."
2. American snowboarder Shaun "The Flying Tomato" White was one of the most refreshing faces of the Games. He seemed to truly enjoy competing, won gold in the half-pipe and during his victory press conference announced that he hoped to parlay his gold medal into a date with figure skater Sasha Cohen, whom he had a crush on for weeks.
"Everybody found out that I wanted to meet Sasha Cohen ... so they're asking me, 'So, you think Sasha is digging gold medals?' And I'm like, 'Couldn't hurt, right?' "
3. The most courageous moment was when Chinese pairs skater Zhang Dan, who should have been heading to the emergency room after slamming into the boards on a botched quadruple salchow throw, made an amazing comeback to win the silver medal.
4. Joey Cheek is not the most famous U.S. speedskater to come out of these Games. That distinction goes to Chad Hedrick and Shani Davis. But Cheek leaves Torino as the most likable American speedskater after winning a gold and a silver and donating his $40,000 medal bonus money to Right to Play, a charity that aids children in developing nations.
The 2006 Winter Olympics officially ended Sunday night with a Fellini-esque closing ceremony. Time for the 2,500 athletes to pack up their loot, head home and slide off the American sports radar.
But first, for the fans who want to reminisce, and the ones who didn't tune in and want a cheat sheet, here's a look at 10 moments that will be frozen in time.
1. One of the biggest stories of the Olympics was about an athlete who didn't compete (and we don't mean Bode Miller).
Five-time world figure skating champion Michelle Kwan petitioned for a spot on the U.S. team after skipping the national championships with a groin injury, bumping Emily Hughes from the squad.
Kwan insisted she was ready to compete when she arrived in Turin, but she cut her first practice short after struggling to land the triple flip, and a day later decided to withdraw. She will go down as the best skater never to win an Olympic gold medal.
She was misty-eyed but kept things in perspective. "I tried my hardest. And if I don't win the gold, it's OK. I've had a great career. I've been very lucky. This is a sport, and it's beautiful."
2. American snowboarder Shaun "The Flying Tomato" White was one of the most refreshing faces of the Games. He seemed to truly enjoy competing, won gold in the half-pipe and during his victory press conference announced that he hoped to parlay his gold medal into a date with figure skater Sasha Cohen, whom he had a crush on for weeks.
"Everybody found out that I wanted to meet Sasha Cohen ... so they're asking me, 'So, you think Sasha is digging gold medals?' And I'm like, 'Couldn't hurt, right?' "
3. The most courageous moment was when Chinese pairs skater Zhang Dan, who should have been heading to the emergency room after slamming into the boards on a botched quadruple salchow throw, made an amazing comeback to win the silver medal.
4. Joey Cheek is not the most famous U.S. speedskater to come out of these Games. That distinction goes to Chad Hedrick and Shani Davis. But Cheek leaves Torino as the most likable American speedskater after winning a gold and a silver and donating his $40,000 medal bonus money to Right to Play, a charity that aids children in developing nations.