GIANT SLEIGHERS: USA-1 team members (from left) Steve Holcomb, Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler and Curtis Tomasevicz celebrate after clinching the
gold medal in four-man bobsled on Saturday at the Whistler Sliding Center.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)


HEADED FOR GOLD: The U.S.-1 team piloted by Steven Holcomb makes a turn during a four-man bobsled heat. The team, which also includes Steve Mesler, Curtis Tomasevicz and Justin Olsen, went on to win the gold medal.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)


PILE UP: Apolo Ohno skates into mayhem on the last turn of the men's 500-meter short track speedskating final at Pacific Coliseum. Ohno crossed the finish line second, but was disqualified for pushing Canada's Francois-Louis Tremblay, causing him to slide into the wall. Korean skater Sung Si-Bak was leading, but tripped on his own.
(Robert Gauthier /Los Angeles Times)


GET SET, GO: Pilot Mike Kohn and his U.S. teammates break from the start line during their first run in the four-man bobsled competition on Friday at Whistler Sliding Center.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)


UP CLOSE: Forward Ryan Malone, right, of the United States braces for a check from Finland's Tuomo Ruutu during the Ice Hockey semifinal at Canada Hockey Place. The U.S. raced to a 6-1 victory and a spot in the gold-medal game against Canada.
(Robert Gauthier /Los Angeles Times)


GOLD: Korean figure skater Yu-Na Kim delivers a gold medal winning performance during her free skate routine.
(Robert Gauthier /Los Angeles Times)


MISTY MOUNTAIN: Canada's Kyle Nissen makes a jump in the Men's Aerials on Thursday.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)


MISTY MOUNTAIN: Canada's Steve Omischl ski's down hill during introductions before the start of the Men's Aerials in the 2010 Vanoucouver Olympics.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)


PUSH: Skaters line up to push each other midway through the women's Short Track Speed Skating 3000 meter relay at Pacific Coliseum.
(Robert Gauthier /Los Angeles Times)


SLIP: Speed skater Jordan Malone of the United State slips from second place on the final turn as Korea's Yoon-Gy Kwak goes on to win and Belgian's Pieter Gysel moves into third in a 500 meter Short Track Speed Skating qualifying heat at Pacific Coliseum.
(Robert Gauthier /Los Angeles Times)


FLIPPED: Bobby Ryan of the United States is flipped by a check from Switzerland's Mathias Seger in a quarterfinal playoff game at Canada Hockey Place.
(Robert Gauthier /Los Angeles Times)


WINTER BACKDROP: Sarah Schleper of the United States rounds a gate during the first run of the women's giant slalom at Whistler in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
(Wally Skalij /Los Angeles Times)


DOWN AND OUT: Lindsey Von of the United States crashes into a fence during the first run of the women's giant slalom at Whistler in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
(Wally SKalij /Los Angeles Times)


SILVER FINISH: Friends and relatives exult with Todd Lodwick, who helped secure the U.S.' first medal -- a silver -- in the team Nordic combined Tuesday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)


TEARS: Canada's Joannie Rochette, whose mother died of a heart attack last week, fights back tears after finishing her short program during the women's figure skating competition Tuesday night at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


STRETCH: U.S. figure skater Mirai Nagasu performs in the Olympic women's short program competition in Vancouver, Canada.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: A freestyle aerial skier makes a jump during practice before qualification on Monday at Cypress Mountain.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)


GOLDEN: Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir complete their free skate in triumphant fashion, earning the gold medal in ice dance Monday night at Pacific Coliseum.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


NATIONAL SUPPORT: U.S. and Canadian flags were abundant as the two countries faced off in the men's curling round-robin play on Monday at the Vancouver Olympic Center.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


TENSION: Team USA Captain Jamie Langenbrunner is at the center of a scrum against Canadians Shea Weber, left, and Brendan Morrow as the second period winds down Sunday at Canada Hockey Place. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


STOPPED AT THE GOAL: Canada forward Mike Richards gets a shot off as he is harassed by USA defenseman Brian Rafalski, left, and forward Zach Parise.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


DEFENSE: Tomas Fleischmann of the Czech Republic has his shot turned away by Russian goalie Evgeni Nabokov in the first period of a men's hockey preliminary round game at Canada Hockey Place.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


SUNSET SLEDDING: Fans watch the two-man bobsled event at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)


SLIDING TO SILVER: Hannah Teter of the United States won the silver medal in the women's halfpipe competition Thursday. The gold medal went to Australia's Torah Bright, who fell on her first run, but recovered with a spectacular second run.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)


CELEBRATION: Shaun White and Scott Lago, left to right at center, celebrate with friends and family after winning medals in the men's halfpipe snowboard final at Cypress Mountain.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


RARE AIR: Shaun White spins out of his last jump as he wins the gold medal in the men's halfpipe final.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


MEDALISTS: The U.S.' Julia Mancuso, left, and Lindsey Vonn celebrate their medal wins in the women's downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics on Wednesday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)


JUBILATION: Lindsey Vonn celebrates her gold medal in the women's downhill.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)


CRASH: Switzerland's Dominique Gisin crashes near the finish line in the women's downhill Wednesday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)


SLIDE: Austria's Andrea Fischbacher slides past the finish line for fourth place in the women's downhill.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)


HEAD OVER HEELS: Gregory Bretz of the United States flips in the air during the men's halfpipe training on Tuesday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)


STYLE POINTS: Tomas Verner of the Czech Republic competes in the men's figure skating short program at Pacific Coliseum.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


GOLDEN PAIR: Zhao Hongbo and his figure-skating partner and wife, Shen Xue, perform an intricate maneuver en route to the Olympic gold medal in the pairs competition at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


CONTENDERS: Germany's Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy won the bronze medal in the pairs figure skating competition Monday in Vancouver.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


FINISH LINE: Seth Wescott reacts after beating the competition for the gold medal in snowboard cross on Monday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


RINGED: Canada's Robert Fagan, right, leads Germany's David Speiser, Canada's Francois Boivin and Swizerland's Fabio Caduff during the men's snowboard cross quarterfinal at Cypress Mountain.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


IN FLIGHT: Bode Miller of the U.S. became the most decorated Alpine skier in U.S. history when he won the bronze medal in the men's downhill on Monday in Vancouver.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)


AN AIR ABOUT HIM: Bryon Wilson of the United States twists into his second maneuver on his way to a bronze medal in the men's moguls at Cypress Mountain outside Vancouver.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


NOT A BANNER MOMENT: Patrick Deneen of the United States crashes into a flag in the men's moguls final at Cypress Mountain outside Vancouver.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


FIRST-EVER: U.S. Olympian Todd Lodwick, center, embraces nordic combined silver medalist Johnny Spillane on Sunday as France's gold medalist Jason Lamy Chappuis takes in the scene. Spillane won the United States' first-ever medal in the event. Lodwick narrowly missed out on the bronze medal.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)


SKIING TILL THEY DROP: Competitors in the nordic combined collapse at the finish line of the 10-kilometer cross-country race.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)


AIRBORNE: Johnny Spillane of the United States takes flight in the ski jumping event during the nordic combined competition. Spillane won the silver medal.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)


FANS: U.S. speed skating fans wave to Apolo Anton Ohno as he celebrates winning the silver medal in the men's 1500 speedskating competition. Ohno has now won six medals in Winter Olympic competition, tying him with long-track speedskater Bonnie Blair for most by an American.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


CLOSE CALL: Apolo Anton Ohno tangles with Korea's Sung Si-Bak midway through the men's 1500 final. Ohno took the silver medal in the men's 1,500 meters and teammate J.R. Celski captured the bronze when two competitors crashed on the final turn.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


GOLD MEDAL JUMP: Switzerland's Simon Ammann jumps 108 meters to win the gold medal during the ski jumping normal hill competition at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)


CELEBRATION: Switzerland's Simon Ammann celebrates his gold medal in the individual ski jumping competition. Ammann won the first gold medal of the Games.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)


BACK ON THE TRACK: Russia's Albert Demtschenko rounds the final turn during the men's singles luge competition in Whistler.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)


OPENING CEREMONY: The Olympic flame is ignited in the center of BC Place as the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics begin.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


ENTRANCE: Team USA enters the opening ceremony in Vancouver, Canada.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


AIRBORNE: A snowboarder flies through the Olympic rings at the start of the opening ceremony at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


LIGHT AND MOTION: A rollerblading entertainer creates a blur of light along with dozens of others during the opening ceremony.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


AWASH IN COLOR: BC Place Stadium, the first indoor venue to host a Winter Olympics opening or closing ceremony, is awash in color on Friday night.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


INTO THE LIGHT: Performers enter the stadium during the opening ceremony.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


MOURNING: The Georgian delegation participated in Friday's opening ceremony wearing black armbands as they mourned their missing teammate, Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21, who died in a horrifying crash during a luge training run barely eight hours earlier.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


TRAGEDY: A woman looks at a memorial for Nodar Kumaritashvili. On a morning training run, Kumaritashvili, 21, of the Republic of Georgia, lost control of his sled at about 80 mph as he came out of the final curve and slammed into an unpadded roof support post.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)


MEMORIAL IN WHISTLER VILLAGE: Just hours before the caldron was lighted to mark the start of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21 died during a practice run on the world's fastest luge track.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)


A NATIVE DAUGHTER: Canada's own k.d. Lang sings during the opening ceremony.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


ILLUMINATED: A 65-foot polar bear appears during the performance of "Landscape of a Dream: Hymn to the North."
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


LIGHTS FANTASTIC: A woman and thousands of other spectators hold electric candles during the Winter Olympics' opening ceremony at BC Place in Vancouver.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


ROOM WITH A VIEW: Judges peer through windows during the Ski Jumping Individual Qualification Round at Whistler Olympic Park.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)