Word: medal
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...American hockey team exploding with jubilation after beating the seemingly invincible Soviets, 4-3, in one of the most astonishing upsets in Olympic history, and then exploding again after defeating the scrappy Finns, 4-2, for a gold medal...
When the skaters warmed up for the 10,000-meter race that would be Heiden's chance for a fifth gold medal, the arena was jammed with spectators. Along Main Street, fans who had not been able to get tickets climbed homemade ladders in order to peer over the fencing. Heiden stayed in perfect form. "He's not a beauty skater, he's a strength skater," says Leah Poulos Mueller, an American speed skater who won silvers in the women's 500- and 1,000-meter races. Yet in the end Heiden's strength...
These positive feelings toward athletes seen as national heroes is strong in all countries, small and large. Even in the United States we feel, or are expected to feel, good about American medal winners. This positive feeling is the reason why advertisers stake millions of dollars on TV campaigns based on winners like Mark Spitz and Bruce Jenner. Our affection for these men is real. It is worth money. Imagine how much more a smaller, closer-knit nation feels for athletes...
...race is not against another but against the clock. The pairings for speed skating are a matter of pure chance. For the 500 meters last week, the draw for the inner lane was the Soviets' Kulikov, the current world record holder in the event and the gold medal winner in 1976. For the outer lane: Eric Heiden...
...pairs figure skating. Not only were the Americans still getting better, still adding to their repertoire of lifts and leaps, but they would be competing against the Soviet Union's husband-and-wife team of Irina Rodnina, 30, and Alexander Zaitsev, 27, who had taken the Olympic gold medal in 1976 and who had won six world titles. Last year, when Randy and Tai won the world championship, the Soviets were not competing; Irina was having a child. The Russians too had added new moves to their traditional routines to try to match the young Americans' dazzle...