Snowball effect for US

TURIN -- Any other year but this one, the Americans would have been spraying each other with Dom Perignon and heading off to the Costa del Sol for vacation. No other US Olympic team had ever come close to winning 25 medals at an overseas Winter Games. In fact, the previous high, achieved in 1994 (Lillehammer) and 1998 (Nagano), was only 13. Yet when the cauldron at the Stadio Olimpico was snuffed out Sunday night, the Yanks still felt that they'd left half a dozen medals on the table.

The sliding sports (bobsled, luge, skeleton), which produced eight medals in 2002, managed only a lone silver here. The Alpine skiers, who won six at last year's World Championships, ended with just two. The freestylers, who grabbed three silvers last time, came up with one bronze. Maybe, mused US Olympic Committee chief executive director Jim Scherr, it was because expectations were so high after the record 34-medal haul at Salt Lake City.

But it was also because the Games have become much more competitive. The top five countries were separated by only seven medals, and South Korea and China, who won a dozen between them four years ago, took 11 apiece. With the Canadians (17 last time, 24 here), the Russians (13 and 22) and Austrians (15 and 23) on the rise, the US will have to be even faster, higher, and stronger in Vancouver in 2010.

A sport-by-sport assessment, with medals won in parentheses:

LONG-TRACK SPEEDSKATING (7): Even though the women were blanked for the first time since 1984, it was a fantastic performance. Chad Hedrick (one of each color), Shani Davis (gold and silver), and Joey Cheek (gold and silver) all delivered as expected, as the men made the podium in all five individual events for the first time since Eric Heiden's golden quintet in 1980. Though the team pursuit was a letdown, Davis and Hedrick won't have any trouble chasing each other all the way to the Yukon next time.

SNOWBOARDING (7): Dude, they were epic, especially the halfpipers, who totally rinsed it with two golds (Shaun White and Hannah Teter) and two silvers (Danny Kass and Gretchen Bleiler). The boardercrossers delivered, too, with the gilded Seth Wescott and Lindsey Jacobellis, who still earned silver even after she biffed. Rosey Fletcher chipped in a bronze in the parallel giant slalom.

SHORT-TRACK SPEEDSKATING (3): Apolo Anton Ohno came up huge when he had to. His 500-meter victory was the best race of his life and his anchor leg on the bronze-medal relay was masterful. But if Ohno sticks around for a third go, the team needs to get him a wingman to keep the Koreans from squeezing him into another Seoul sandwich. A bad leg sabotaged Halie Kim, but the 17-year-old is the next women's star.

FIGURE SKATING (2): Should have been three and one of them should have been gold. The silver by Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto was historic, but when the dancers are your top hope, that's telling. Sasha Cohen did well to salvage the silver, but it should have been her night. And Johnny Weir needs two things for next time: a sports psychologist and a cab driver.

ALPINE SKIING (2): Maybe that ''Best In The World" slogan was more a goal than a boast, but it was a terrific laugh line for the Austrians, who taught their star-spangled rivals a lesson in coming strong when it matters. Though the golds by Ted Ligety and Julia Mancuso were the most since 1994, their teammates should have provided at least four more medals. When you have four times as many DNFs and DQs as podiums, it's unsatisfactory.

FREESTYLE SKIING (1): From triple-gold to triple-silver to a lone bronze in three quadrennia. No question, the rest of the world is catching up, especially those flying Chinese. But except for Toby Dawson in the moguls, the Americans were nowhere this time, especially in the aerials, where they had one finalist. None of the Salt Lake holdovers produced, which may say something about how the sport is taking off elsewhere.

ICE HOCKEY (1): Well, at least the women have a complete set after three Games. The bronze was a huge letdown, but it was a great boost for the women's game worldwide. What can you say about a men's team that took two weeks off and flew across an ocean to beat the Kazakhs? If the NHLers can't make the medal round, maybe USA Hockey should send BU. Jack Parker's guys know how to win in February.

BOBSLED (1): If it weren't for Shauna Rohbock and Valerie Fleming, who came on strong with silver in the women's event, it would have been a lost week. Todd Hays, who seemed certain for at least one medal, rolled a mysterious pair of sevens. It may be that Salt Lake (three medals) was as good as it gets.

CURLING (1): The women, who were supposed to make the podium with the Johnson sisters, lost their first three matches and never recovered. But the unheralded men, behind Pete Fenson, were rock-solid, winning the first US medal in the sport (a bronze).

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING (0): A medal would have been a miracle, but there were encouraging signs from the flatlanders. Kikkan Randall's ninth in the sprint was the best US women's finish in history and Andy Newell's 16th in the men's was encouraging. Still, there were far too many placements out of the top 30. If enough development money is invested in the right people and the most promising events are targeted, there should be an upsurge next time.

SKI JUMPING (0): A great leap backward from Salt Lake, where Alan Alborn's 11th now seems an aberration. Alborn was 40th this time, and he was the best of the bunch. Maybe they should have the combined guys do double-duty in 2010 and pay them overtime.

NORDIC COMBINED (0): Roughly as expected, but a step down from 2002. Three top-10 finishes from Todd Lodwick and Johnny Spillane were creditable, but the team should have finished better than seventh. If the next generation can't get up to speed quickly, Vancouver won't be any better.

SKELETON (0): Ever since Noelle Pikus-Pace broke her leg last fall, this bunch was awash in bum karma. Two sixth-place finishes and a sledful of embarrassing headlines are reason enough for the USOC to do an extreme makeover of the entire federation.

LUGE (0): One medal was expected, two would have been a bonus. One bad run kept Tony Benshoof off the podium, and the first-run crash in the double was the end of a lost year by two-time medalists Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin. The consolation prize was the fourth place by Courtney Zablocki, the best-ever women's effort.

BIATHLON (0): Jay Hakkinen's 10th in the 20-kilometer was the top US showing ever, and he was one bullet shy of a bronze. The ninth place in the men's relay was the best effort since 1988. The women aren't within shooting distance of the Russians and Germans, but the gap is narrowing.