The US Olympic team took home a record breaking 11th gold medal at the Milano Cortina Winter Games on Saturday, after Kaila Kuhn, Connor Curran and Chris Lillis won the mixed team aerial title.
The 11th gold breaks the record set at the last US Olympics – in Salt Lake City in 2002, which has long been a turning point for a Winter sports program that struggled in previous decades.
“Our focus and strategy has always been broad,” said Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee. “We want to win in everything. We want to make all sports better. Some would argue that there are countries that are a mile deep in certain sports and really dominate. Our goal was to improve winter sports in all countries.”
Gregory Bull / AP
The win increased the US total to 30 medals at the Olympics. That is second only to Norway, who, the day before, won their 17th gold medal, setting a Winter Games record.
The biggest US gold medals came in freeskiing and speedskating – two each (18%), and speedster Jordan Stolz catching both of them in the snow.
Team USA could add more gold medals to its tally, including on Sunday when the The US men’s hockey team will face Team Canada.
There are 38 more medal events in the program this year than in 2002.
“We said we want to be a stadium country,” said Fin Kirwan, USOPC chief of Olympic sports, about America’s goal of being in the top three on the medal table. “We said it would probably take 30 medals and then we went after it. The athletes succeeded with their skills, and then we reached the record of winning gold medals, which shows that we were able to do everything we could to succeed.”
Here are some highlights and links to 11 other US gold medal winners:
Alex Ferreira, freeskiing
American free skater Alex Ferreira completes his Olympic collection for his first gold in Milan. He took it silver in Pyeongchang in 2018and bronze four years ago in Beijing.
Breezy Johnson, alpine
He long journey in the gold medal including a knee injury four years ago on the same mountain where he won.
Elizabeth Lemley, officers
Named “Lizard,” she joins a lexicon of great US skiers, including 2010 champion Hannah Kearney and her teammate, Jaelin Kauf, who now has three silver medals.
Alysa Liu, figure skating
The 20-year-old retired after the Beijing Games, rediscovered her love of surfing and happily claimed a gold medal — the first for US women since 2002.
Elana Meyers Taylor, arrested
In his sixth Olympics, finally break inbecoming the oldest Winter Olympian to win gold at age 41.
Mikaela Shiffrin, alpine
The winningest skater of all time earns money at the Olympics with slalom gold after closing the tears four years ago.
Jordan Stolz, speedskating (2)
He joined Eric Heiden in Lake Placid in 1980 as the band’s only member the second man to hold 500 and 1,000. It will win a third title on Saturday night.
US figure skating team
Liu, Amber Glenn and Ilia Malinin are among the members of the group that brings home a second straight gold; the latter took two years to film after the Russian doping saga.
US women’s ice hockey team
A a tense thrillerhighlighted by Hilary Knight’s tying goal with 2:04 left, then Megan Keller’s game-winner in overtime.
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