NBC wants you to believe the hype.
Believe the hype of Red Gerard. Believe the hype of Chloe Kim, Shaun White, Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn.
With TV ratings plummeting as the United States’ 2018 Olympic medal count continues to be a number no American wants to look at, please — oh, someone, please — believe the hype.
That’s how Wednesday’s women’s alpine super combined races at PyeongChang was marketed. Vonn vs. Shiffrin. The best alpine skier there ever has been vs. the best there ever will be. And it was hard not to get caught up in the fanfare.
At 33 years old, Vonn has 81 world cup victories to her name — the most ever for a woman and five off Ingemar Stenmark’s mark for the most ever. At age 22 and with only six years of competition, Shiffrin’s world cup victory total sits at 41. Both entered the final competition with one medal in these 2018 Olympics (a gold for Shiffrin in the giant slalom, a bronze for Vonn in the downhill). Both call Colorado home. Both are skiing’s most recognizable faces.
Believe. The. Hype.
Except there was one problem: The alpine combined was never about Vonn vs. Mikaela. And if you didn’t listen to Vonn’s heartfelt interview on NBC after her downhill run Wednesday night where she was in tears discussing her late grandfather and her ability to even podium, then hopefully seeing her choke back waterworks behind her goggles after the she finished the downhill portion of the combined in first place made that clear.
This was about Vonn vs. Vonn. A cliche race against time, and the idea of who we remember her to be vs. injury-worn athlete she is today.
Vonn didn’t give herself much of a chance — she was candid about that. It’s hard to win any competition involving Shiffrin when slalom is involved.
When the downhill race concluded and she held first place, plus nearly a 2-second lead over Shiffrin, it seemed destined for Vonn’s final career race as an Olympian was going to leave us with one of those made-for-TV moments NBC would show for years to come. But as the snowfall began to intensify, so did the pressure as her lead in the combined event fell to .77 seconds over Switzerland’s Michelle Gisin. Shortly out of the gate, Vonn hooked a ski and failed to complete the slalom portion.
The last Olympic image of Vonn we were left with was one of her braking her way down the course. No medal. Shiffrin took home silver.
It’s been 16 years since Vonn made her Olympic debut as a 17-year-old high school junior in Salt Lake City in 2002, and eight since she won her first medals at Vancouver in 2010. In four trips to the Olympics, it’s almost hard to believe Vonn has only won three medals, including bronze in Wednesday’s downhill. That NBC hype leads us to believe something different.
She’s still the greatest to ever ski down a mountain. Still on pace to break the world cup wins record. But in Thursday’s race of Vonn vs. Vonn, it wasn’t our image of her that won the day.
— , The Denver Post
What’s on tap?
NHL: Avalanche at Oilers, 7 p.m., ALT
Scoreboard
NCAA: Boise State 87, CSU 54
| Recap
NCAA: San Diego State 67, Air Force 56
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NCAA: USC 75, CU 64
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By The Numbers
0.07
The amount of time separating Denver’s Lauren Gibbs from a gold medal in the bobsled.
Must-Read
Kiszla: Lauren Gibbs and Elizabeth Swaney are 33 and Ivy-educated Olympians. One shines like silver, the other is a darn shame.
The first bobsled race that Lauren Gibbs ever saw? She was in it. Not as a spectator, but as a full-fledged participant, hanging on for dear life in the back end of a $50,000 sleigh, sliding at 80 mph down a twisting tube of unforgiving ice. Read More…
The Broncos could find themselves in need of an inside linebacker. The combine previews a deep pool of them in the 2018 draft.
One of the Broncos’ most important, if less scrutinized, decisions over the next two months revolves around unrestricted free agent inside linebacker Todd Davis. And deciding whether to re-sign Davis, and how hard to pursue a new deal, could have a ripple effect across Denver’s draft blueprint. Read More…
Quick Hits
+ Can you believe the Rockies start Cactus League games on Friday? Manager Bud Black announced his starting pitcher for Game No. 1.
+ What’s in store for the Broncos as the NFL Combine? Nick Kosmider and Nicki Jhabvala discussed it in the latest First-and-Orange podcast.
+ So…Did Colorado State reach the 2013 Sweet 16 according to NCAA revisionist history?
+David Wise, Alex Ferreria win gold, silver in PyeongChang Olympic halfpipe, 16-year-old Nico Porteous wins bronze.
+With Nathan MacKinnon back in the lineup, Avalanche once again looks like a playoff team
+The Rockies’ 24-year-old outfielder Raimel Tapia, with the peculiar batting stance is suddenly an imposing figure.
+Nuggets will soon have Mason Plumlee and Paul Millsap back. Is there any concern that will disrupt a surging lineup?
Parting Shot
Sorry, no beer
The Colorado Rapids and Toronto FC played in single-digit temperatures on Tuesday. It was so cold, in fact, that the beer lines literally froze at the concession stands. Read More…
Get in Touch
If you see something thatap cause for question or have a comment, thought or suggestion, email me at dboniface@denverpost.com or tweet me @danielboniface.
