AMERICAN MALE
Bode Miller
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The face of the 2006 Winter Olympics didn’t win a single medal in Torino and drew harsh criticism for his attitude and performance. The Alpine skier rebounded in 2010, however. Miller won gold in the super combined, silver in the super-G and bronze in the downhill. Not even falls in the slalom and giant slalom could tarnish Miller’s brilliant effort. He now owns five Olympic medals overall.
AMERICAN FEMALE
Lindsey Vonn
The Alpine star received the most attention of any American athlete. The Sports Illustrated cover girl fought through a painful right shin injury that limited her training. But Vonn still competed in all five disciplines, cementing her status as the world’s best downhill skier by winning gold. She took bronze in the super-G. Vonn hoped for a super combined medal, but she hooked a ski tip on a pole and didn’t finish.
INTERNATIONAL MALE
Lee Jung-Su
Competing in the Winter Olympics for the first time, the 20-year-old South Korean overshadowed his more established teammate Lee Ho-Suk and American star Apolo Anton Ohno. He won short-track gold in the 1,500-meter race on the first day of competition Feb. 13 and followed that with another gold in the 1,000 meters Feb. 20. Lee added a silver medal when South Korea placed second in the 5,000-meter relay.
INTERNATIONAL FEMALE
Marit Bjorgen
No one leaves Vancouver with more medals than the 29-year-old from Norway. The cross-country star earned five — including four in individual events. Bjorgen took gold in both the individual sprint and the 15-kilometer pursuit and bronze in the 10-kilometer individual. She also won gold with her Norwegian teammates in the 4×5-kilometer relay. But Bjorgen didn’t simply excel at the shorter distances. She also won silver in the 30-kilometer mass start.
