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CNN Live Sunday

U.S. Claims First Gold Medal

Aired February 10, 2002 - 17:22   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Time now to see what's shaking at the Winter Olympic Games. CNNsi's Tom Rinaldi joins us from Park City, Utah with an update. We finally got gold, eh?

TOM RINALDI, CNNSI CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we did, Fredricka.

It's been a very busy day on the slopes and the ramps here at Winter Olympics in Utah, but it turns out to be a golden day. The United States claims its first gold medal. It comes in snowboarding, in the women's halfpipe competition -- 18-year-old Kelly Clark from Vermont claims the gold in the women's halfpipe. She won on the final run of the day. The silver goes to Dorian Vidal of France, and the bronze to Fabian Roedler (ph) of Switzerland. The U.S. claiming its first gold medal, and it comes in the women's halfpipe.

Well, there was another marquee event run, and that was the men's downhill. The surprise winner there as well. The gold goes to Fritz Strobl, a 29-year-old police officer from Austria. He beats out a couple of pre-race favorites, Lasse Juice (ph) from Norway, who claimed the silver, and the bronze goes to Stefan Eberharter (ph), nearly a prohibited favorite, also from Austria. Clearly pre-race favorite.

At look at the medal count so far: Has Austria, the perennial power in Winter Games, leading with five. The United States already has three. The best medal haul for the United States in any Winter Olympics is 13. The first eight gold medals in these games went to eight different countries.

Coming up tomorrow, another marquee event, the women's downhill. And while there are favorites from Italy, Austria and Germany, certainly the sentimental favorite, from the United States' point of view, Park City, Utah's own Picabo Street. She's trying to come back from major leg injuries to win this event, on two fast skis with two repaired legs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PICABO STREET, U.S. OLYMPIC SKIER: I would love to become the first, you know, the first woman to ever win three medals consecutively in the Olympics. You know, that would be great. But if God doesn't have that in store for me, then my best is only good enough for whatever. I don't really care, as long as I make it to the finish and I do give my mom and my friends and family a big hug, you know. But I will be shooting for the gold.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RINALDI: If there's anything like a home slope advantage, it certainly will belong to Street. She does live here in Park City. She is fond of naming her skis, but it's pretty clear that come Monday it won't be the names that matter, it will be the colors: Silver, bronze or, in Street's case, she's certainly hoping for gold -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: I know it will be a full house, as many want to witness any history made by Picabo Street. And I understand during that snowboarding that women's snowboarding competition was standing- room only to watch that women's competition. Any indication whether ticket sales have in the end been boosted?

RINALDI: The marquee events certainly have drawn huge crowds, Fredricka. But I will tell you one problem that's happened: When an event happens earlier in the day, both traffic problems and security checks have kept some spectators from seeing some of the biggest names. Still, as you mentioned, the marquee events are drawing huge crowds here.

WHITFIELD: All right. Looks like a lot of fun out there. Thanks a lot, Tom Rinaldi, for that update out of Park City.

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