The contrast is stark, but the results were similar. Big favorites among U.S. athletes were unable to find their way to the medal podium today in two events that couldn’t be more different in how they break your heart. The men’s downhill is a pure race, straight down the mountain one time for glory or failure. Speed skating, especially in a longer race such as the 1500 meters, depends on luck as much as it does on execution. This is a race that starts slowly and strategically and ends in a burst of speed. An athlete can train every day for four years, get into perfect physical and mental condition, and then be eliminated in a heartbeat by the smallest tick of a mistake, and it doesn’t even have to be his own mistake. But in the case of U.S. skater Apolo Anton Ohno, it was a mistake of his own making that ruined his chance at the gold medal many were expecting. And U.S. skiers Daron Rahlves and Bode Miller, both with such high hopes, made clean runs but fell short of the times of faster men in the downhill. Short by a fraction of a second, but that’s all it takes.

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One year ago: Vortex
"No cards, so as not to appear to be buying into the dark side of the holiday."

Two years ago: Slow Lane
"When someone's that close to your rear bumper, the smart thing is to let them ram you at a slower speed."

Three years ago: Time Out
"If you can't get away from it, you find yourself flinching even when there's no hammer."

Four years ago: Out to Bid
"Conferences, notifications, certifications, restrictions, codes, tolerances, inspections, compliances, verifications, safety requirements, access to facilities, environmental regulations, definitions of terms, noise control, traffic control, daily reports, progress schedule, record keeping, testing and design calculations — it's all there in 12-point Courier."

Five years ago: Down to the Last Drop
"She's still in there, somewhere, but it'll be like coming home from two weeks in boot camp when I see her look up at me tomorrow."

Six years ago: Grand Junctions
"There just always seems to be a gap between knowing what I have to do and following through."