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CNN Live Sunday

Three More Events Award Medals in 2002 Winter Olympics

Aired February 17, 2002 - 17:13   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: Now onto the Olympics. It's day 10 of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and CNNSI's John Giannone is in Park City, and he joins us now with a live update. Lots of action on the ice out there, John.

JOHN GIANNONE, CNNSI CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, indeed there is. And already three events have awarded medals today, including Italy's Daniela Cicerella (ph), who won a gold, a surprising gold in the women's super giant slalom.

No medals yet this afternoon for the United States, but good news for an Olympic medalist. Apolo Anton Ohno, who says he will be able to compete in his final three short-track speed skating events, which begin Wednesday, this after a harrowing fall in the final strides of the 1,000-meter short track event last night. Ohno banged into the wall, skidded across the finish line for a silver medal, and then had to go take six stitches in his left thigh. Now, that race was won by Stephen Bradbury (ph), who became the first ever winter Olympics gold medalist from Australia.

Now, speaking of gold medalists, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier from Canada, they will receive their long-awaited and much-anticipated gold medals later this evening, 10:45 Eastern time, at a ceremony at the Olympic venue. Now, Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze, the Russian duo that originally won the gold medal, they are still gold medalists. They are expected to be in attendance at the ceremony, in which the national anthems of both Canada and Russia are expected to be played.

Now, speaking of medals, here is the medals count as it stands right now. Germany leads the pack, five gold, nine silver, six bronze, for a total of 20. The United States has won more medals than they ever had in an Olympic competition, 16 overall, four shy of their stated goal of 20. Norway has 13, but the most gold medals in the games, with eight. Austria also with 13 medals. And the Russians have 10, again including those four golds.

Now, the United States has medaled in every day of competition so far. Their best chance for a medal later today, the two-man bobsled event. The U.S. currently sits in fifth place. And also, the women's speed skating 1,000-meter event. Jennifer Rodriguez of Miami is one of the favorites in that event.

Reporting from Park City, Utah, I'm John Giannone. WHITFIELD: Hey, John, about that ceremony this evening with the Canadian pair skaters. You said both anthems from both Russia and Canada will be played. Does that mean that Elena and Anton will be standing side by side with David and Jamie as well?

GIANNONE: Yeah, details are still being worked out, but that is what is believed is that they will have a dual platform, where both will stand together, and they will again play the Russian anthem as they did Monday night after that competition completed, and then they will play the Canadian anthem, raise that flag as well.

So surprisingly, the Russian pair agreeing to be a part of the ceremony, and that sort of shows goodwill gesture on their part and goodwill gesture on the parts of all four skaters, who continue to say throughout this event, throughout this fiasco that they were really just caught in the middle of what was really an ugly situation.

WHITFIELD: And that goodwill is definitely needed out there right now, particularly after that debacle. All right. Thanks a lot, John Giannone from Salt Lake City -- Park City.

GIANNONE: Thank you.

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