The Sochi Winter Olympics are over except for the closing ceremony — although in Sochi even that is all said and done.
I think they went well, despite all the security worries, the initial horror stories about hotel accommodations, and the weather sometimes not cooperating.
Perhaps the New York Times says it best:
Russia had so much to prove at the Winter Games. That spending however-many-billion dollars to build an Olympics-industrial complex from scratch on the edge of the Black Sea was worth it. That despite a thicket of security worries, logistical obstacles, weather annoyances and the darkening specter of revolution in nearby Ukraine, the country could put on a Games that ran seamlessly, at times even exuberantly.
As to the closing ceremony — which most of us have not seen yet — the Times, again:
Its closing ceremony on Sunday night was advertised as a celebration of Russian culture and heritage – a grand party to show off the work of distinguished Russian musicians, dancers, artists and authors through the centuries. But it seemed as much a great sigh of happy relief as anything else.
The Times has more, but we will not spoil it for you here.
The United States did well with 28 medals, second only to Russia with its 33 medals.
Shame we did not get a medal in men’s ice hockey, but congratulations to the U.S. women’s ice hockey team for their well-deserved silver medal. Congratulations also to our neighbors to the north, Canada, one of the favorites to win gold — which they did. And congratulations to our men’s team for beating Russia.
Because of my background, I have focused on the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) Olympian athletes and on the Netherlands, who I affectionately call the “Lowlanders.”
Our WCAP athletes did pretty good.
Former U.S. Army WCAP bobsledder Steven Holcomb of Park City, Utah, USA-1 driver, along with brakeman Steve Langton of Melrose, Mass., captured the bronze medal in the two-man bobsled event.
Steven Holcomb, former U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program soldier, bites his Olympic bronze medal for two-man bobsleigh at Olympic Park in Sochi, Russia, Feb. 18, 2014. Holcomb teamed with Steve Langton to claim Team USA’s first medal in the event since the 1952 Olympic Winter Games in Oslo, Norway. U.S. Army photo by Tim Hipps
WCAP coach U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Tuffield “Tuffy” Latour, led Noelle Pikus-Pace, right, to an Olympic silver medal and Katie Uehlander to a fourth-place finish in women’s skeleton.
Former U.S. Army WCAP bobsled driver Steven Holcomb and his crew that included Capt. Christopher Fogt and civilians Curt Tomasevicz and Steve Langton drove the USA-1 four-man bobsled to a bronze medal.
Former U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program and reigning Olympic four-man champion bobsled driver Steven Holcomb, far right, brakeman Capt. Chris Fogt, far left, and USA-1 crew members Steve Langton and Curt Tomasevicz begin their first heat of the Olympic four-man bobsled competition at Sanki Sliding Centre in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia, Feb. 22, 2014. Photo: DOD
Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games four-man bobsled gold medalists from Russia watch Team USA step onto the podium to receive their bronze medals at Sanki Sliding Centre in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. Feb. 23, 2014. From far right to left: U.S. Army Capt. Chris Fogt of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, Steve Langton, Curt Tomasevicz and former Army program bobsledder Steven Holcomb stand during the ceremony. (Photo DOD)
But how about “tiny Netherlands”?
“Tiny” Netherlands won a whopping 24 medals –eight gold, seven silver and nine bronze — all in speed skating, including short track.
As mentioned here, in a country with an intricate network of almost 1,000 canals and thousands of ponds and lakes — almost 25 percent of the Netherlands is covered by water — that freeze over almost every winter, it is understandable why ice skating is such a popular national pastime, a national sport, and it is not surprising that the Netherlands would dominate this sport. And so they did, again, at Sochi.
Hartelijk gefeliciteerd, Nederland!
As so many people are saying tonight, “Do svidaniya, Sochi!”
Edited to add photo of USA-1 Team on podium
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.