1980 Winter OlympicsThe 1980 Winter Olympics held in Lake Placid was a miracle in its own way. It was the second Winter Olympics held in the area (the first in 1932). Costing 88 million dollars, many old facilities from 1932 had to be rebuilt and many new facilities had to be built. It was the thirteenth Winter Olympics, lasting about ten days, with 37 countries represented and 1067 athletes. For the first time the communist People's Republic of China joined a modern Olympics. It was a time when most Americans felt unsafe with the threat of the Cold War. The strength of a speedskater and the victory of a hockey team were the remedies to make the US feel like a nation again... Perhaps the most memorable part of the 1980 Winter Olympics is the US hockey victory over the "unbeatable" Soviet Union. Not a lot was expected of the US hockey team made up of college students and minor leagurers. Everyone watching was stunned by the US win of 4 to 3, and eventually the defeat of Finland for the gold. Goalie Jim Craig stopped an amazing 39 shots from the Soviet Union, and made the US feel good about itself again. Ten thousand fans watched on, waving American flags and chanting: " USA, USA," the last few seconds. With the final buzzer and a do-nothing team that had just beaten the impossible, the crowd erupted. The US had beaten the Russians, and they had never given up. As one announcer put it, " Do you believe in miracles?" The US hockey team allowed us to believe in miracles because we could defeat the "unbeatable," and Lake Placid was apart of this great moment. |
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Another great miracle was a young speedskater known as Eric Heiden. Heiden never wanted it but he got his fifteen minutes of fame. At only 21 years old, Heiden accomplished what no one had ever done before in Olympic history: he won five gold medals in one Olympics. He set five Olympic records including one world record. Heiden is a true example of the strength of a human being. We will probably, never again, see a performance like that of Eric Heiden in the 1980 Winter Olympics. |
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| No | Sport |
G-S-B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Eric Heiden, USA | Sp. Skating | 5-0-0 |
| 3 | Nikolai Zimatov, USSR | X-country | 3-0-0 |
| 3 | Anatoly Alyabiev, USSR | Biathlon | 2-0-1 |
| 3 | Frank Ullrich, E. Ger. | Biathlon | 1-2-0 |
| 3 | Juha Mieto, FIN | X-country | 0-2-1 |
| 2 | Ingemar Stenmark, SWE | Alpine | 2-0-0 |
| 2 | Vladimir Alikin,USSR | Biathlon | 1-1-0 |
| 2 | Josef Benz, SWI | Bobsled | 1-1-0 |
| 2 | Hans Jurgen Gerhardt, E. Ger. | Bobsled | 1-1-0 |
| 2 | Bernhard Germeshausen, E. Ger. | Bobsled | 1-1-0 |
| 2 | Vasili Rochev, USSR | X-country | 1-1-0 |
| 2 | Erich SchSrer, SWI | Bobsled | 1-1-0 |
| 2 | Bogdan Musiol, E. Ger. | Bobsled | 1-0-1 |
| 2 | Meinhard Nehmer, E. Ger. | Bobsled | 1-0-1 |
| 2 | Kai Arne Stenshjemmet, NOR | Sp. Skate | 0-2-0 |
| 2 | Ove Aunli, NOR | X-country | 0-1-1 |
| 2 | Eberhard Rosch, E. Ger. | Biathlon | 0-1-1 |
| 2 | Tom Erik Oxholm, NOR | Sp. Skate | 0-0-2 |