United States Athletes Finally Strike Some Gold

An unlikely gold-medal couple broke America’s 0-for-Nagano Olympic schneid: Picabo Street, Alpine skiing’s comeback kid, and Jonny Moseley, freestyle skiing’s gnarliest dude.

Street, 26, survived a mistake about midway through her run and charged to an Olympic gold by one-hundredth of a second in the women’s super-G - the Games’ first Alpine medal after three days of snow-related postponements. She hsa a chance for a second gold in the downhill on Saturday.

“I don’t believe what I’m seeing,” Street, of Sun Valley, Idaho, shouted as favorite Katja Seizinger of Germany was unable to beat her time. Austria’s Michaela Dorfmeister finished second, and her teammate Alexandra Meissnitzer won the bronze.

Moseley, 22, of Tiburon, Cal., ended America’s medal-free games with his gravity-defying signature “air” move: a 360 Mute Grab Jump in which he did a full “helicopter” rotation and grabbed his inside ski.

It was good enough to win the freestyle moguls.

“Oh my God,” Moseley said after his winning score was posted. “I never thought it would happen to me. You wouldn’t believe the thoughts that are going through my head.”

Freestyle skiing

Moseley outleapt a pair of Finns to win his gold. Janne Lahtela of Finland won the silver, with teammate Sami Mustonen finishing third.

In the women’s competition, the U.S. failed to add to America’s medal total - but just barely. Donna Weinbrecht, Liz McIntyre and Ann Battelle had hoped for a sweep of the medals, but went home empty-handed as Weinbrecht’s fourth was just out of the money.

Tae Satoya of Japan won the gold medal, followed by Tatjana Mittermayer of Germany and Kari Traa of Norway was third with 24.09.

Ski jumping

For the second time in as many Olympics, Masahiko Harada had a near certain gold medal slip away. Harada, whose poor Lillehammer jump cost the Japanese a team gold medal, looked like a lock after one jump in the 90-meter competition.

Before his second jump, a shaky Harada stood for a minute on the slope. When he finally took off, the skier launched a wobbly effort that condemned him to fifth place.

The Japanese did win a silver medal; Kazuyoshi Funaki finished second. Surprising Jani Soininen of Finland replaced Harada in first place to take the 90-meter gold, and Andreas Widhoelzl of Austria won the bronze.

Figure skating

The Russian team of Artur Dmitriev and Oksana Kazakova extended the Russian domination of pairs skating, capturing the gold after a stirring long program. Teammates Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze took the silver, while Germany’s Mandy Woetzel and Ingo Steuer won the bronze.

Americans Kyoko Ina and Jason Dungjen were fourth.

Dmitriev became the first man to win Olympics with different partners. He took gold in 1992 and silver in 1994 with Natalia Mishkutienok, then dumped her a year later in favor of Kazakova.

A Soviet or Russian couple has won every Olympic pairs gold medal since 1964.

Speedskating

Hiroyasu Shimizu became an instant national hero when he won the first Japanese gold medal at the Nagano Games. Canadians Jeremy Wotherspoon and Kevin Overland took the silver and bronze, respectively. American Casey FitzRandolph of Vernoa, Wis., was in third place going into the final race, but wound up sixth.

xxxx