USA at the Winter Olympic Games
The United States of America (USA) made its first appearance at the Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix in 1924, and has sent a team to every event since. The nation is ranked second behind Norway with the most medals won at the Winter Games and its consistent rivals aside from the Scandinavian nation back then are Soviet Union and East Germany. The United States has topped the medal board at two editions of the Winter Games, in 1932 and 2010. It is also the only country to have won a gold medal at every Winter Olympics.
team USA at the 2010 opening ceremonySpeed skater Charlew Jewtraw became the first Winter Olympic gold medalist when he won the 500-meter speed skating in 1924. Another Speed skater Bonnie Blair has six Winter Olympics gold medals, the most of any American athlete.
Eddie Eagan is one of five athletes that have ever captured medals in both the Summer and Winter Games. He was a member of the gold-medal-winning bobsleigh team in 1932 and a boxing champion at the 1920 Winter Games. Another American athlete to win a medal at both the Winter and Summer Olympics is bob-sledder and track sprinter Lauryn Williams.
The USA ice hockey team provided one of the most unforgettable moments at the Winter Olympics when it pulled the rug from under highly-favored the Soviet Union to win the gold medal in a match which is now dubbed the 'Miracle on Ice'.
Debi Thomas became the first black athlete to win a medal at the Winter Games when he won the bronze medal in figure skating in Calgary in 1998. Vonetta Flowers became the first-ever black gold medalist at the Winter Games in the women’s bobsled.
General
- The most medals by an American athlete at the Winter Olympics is six by speed skater Bonnie Blair.
- Only five athletes have ever won medals at both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games, including Eddie Eagan of United States. Eddie was part of America's bobsleigh team in 1932, led by Billy Fiske, which won the gold. Eddie was also a boxing champion in the 1920 Games. Eagan remains the only person to have won gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Games. Another USA athlete to win at both the Winter and Summer Olympics is sprinter and bob-sledder Lauryn Williams.
- Shaun White is a five-time Winter Olympian and a three-time Olympic gold medalist in half-pipe snowboarding. He holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals by a snowboarder.
1924 Chamonix
- The first Winter Olympic gold medalist was Charlew Jewtraw, from Lake Placid in the United States, when he won the 500 meters speed skating title.
- Due to an error in computing the scores, American Anders Haugen was placed in fourth in ski jumping in 1924, behind Norway's Thorleif Haug. This error was not discovered until 50 years later, at which time Haugen was awarded the bronze in a special ceremony.
1928
- USA bobsledder Tom Doe was just 15 years, 128 days in 1928, where he won a silver medal.
1932
- Eddie Eagan won gold in the team bobsled event, adding to his boxing gold medal he won at the 1920 Summer Olympic Games.
1948 St Moritz
- American John Heaton won the silver in the Skeleton, as he had done the previous time the event was held, 20 years earlier.
Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956
- The USA sweep five of the six medals in individual figure skating, the lone exception being Austria's Ingrid Wendl who won a bronze.
Squaw Valley 1960
- The U.S. ice hockey team won the gold for the first time, upsetting both the Canadian and Soviet teams.
Grenoble 1968
- Peggy Fleming won America's only gold medal at these Games, in figure skating.
Lake Placid 1980
- American Eric Heiden won all five speed skating events, the first time that was ever done.
- The USA ice hockey team pulled off an upset victory over the heavy favorites USSR in the match now called the 'Miracle on Ice'. (see video)
Calgary 1988
- The first black athlete to win a Winter Olympic medal was Debi Thomas of the United States, finishing third in figure skating at the 1988 Games in Calgary.
Lillehammer 1994
- Bonnie Blair of the USA won two speed skating gold medals, which made her America's most successful Olympic woman with five gold medals from three Games.
Nagano 1998
- 15-year-old American figure skater Tara Lipinski became the youngest athlete to win a gold medal at the Winter Games. A record that was broken in 2014.
- American Picabo Street shrugged off debilitating injuries to win the gold medal in the Super G.
Salt Lake City 2002
- The first black athlete to earn winter games gold medal was USA's Vonetta Flowers in the women's bobsleigh
PyeongChang, South Korea 2018
- US luger Chris Mazdzer became the first non-European to win a medal in the men's singles event, finishing in second place.
Beijing, China 2022
- US skater Erin Jackson won the 500 meters speed skating at the 2022 Beijing Games, becoming the first black woman to win a gold medal in an individual event at the Winter Games.
Related Pages
- The Winter Olympics have been in the USA four times: 1932, 1960, 1980, 2002, (and will again in 2034)
- What are the most popular Winter Olympic Sports in the USA?
- More Winter Olympics Countries
- USA at the Summer Olympics
- Why Is the USA So Successful at the Olympics?
- Winter Olympics main page.
- About Sport in the USA
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