TEAM USA MEN'S 4-MAN BOBSLED EARNS GOLD!

L-R: Curt Tomasevicz, Steve Mesler, Justin Olsen and driver Steve Holcomb

(Photo: Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images & Team USA.org)
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It was an emotional evening where it can be said that grown men shouted and cried. I was one of them. Like millions across America, I was so proud to see the four men of Team USA jump atop the medal podium together. As our national anthem was played, each put their right hand over their heart. I said to myself, "This is actually happening. Life is good".

The 62-year drought for the USA Men's Olympic Bobsled Team gold medal is officially over. Driver Steve Holcomb and push athletes Steve Mesler, Justin Olsen and brakeman Curt Tomasevicz blazed down the Whistler Sliding Center in 51.52 seconds for a final run time of 3:24.46, 0.38 ahead of rival Germany's defending gold medalist Andre' Lange who earned the silver medal. Canada's team led by driver Lyndon Rush earned the Bronze medal. At Lake Placid, New York last February, Holcomb and his team mates broke a 50-year gold medal drought to win the 2009 World Championship.

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Steven Holcomb: "It'll take a little while for it to sink in. You work so hard to get somewhere, and you finally get there, you say, 'Now what? I don't know what to do,'" Holcomb said. "But at the same time, these guys have trained so hard and worked so hard and gone through so much the last four years, so to end on a high note like this is huge. It's going to be an interesting day. It's overwhelming. It's a relief.

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"I think this will put us on the map a little more. We've always been kind of a threat, but we haven't been at the top of our game," he said. "To now have a World Championship and an Olympic gold medal is huge."

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Steve Mesler: "There was a moment when the four of us were standing there and everybody else had gone inside and we were the last off and it was a moment where I just stopped for half a second and took it in. Four of us, empty parking lot and going down the hill. I'll never forget that."

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Justin Olsen: "If you try to take into perspective that this is the Olympics, the biggest race of your life, that’s where you mess up. If you try too hard, you’re more likely to mess up. Just take it like it’s a normal race. We’ve been here before. We were here last year when we were in Lake Placid [at the World Championships.] That was a learning experience. We came out [in Lake Placid] on the second day and we increased our lead. Today I know we didn’t lay down the runs we had yesterday with that much of a lead, but… Andre Lange (Germany) and Lyndon Rush [Canada] are competitors and they were going to do everything they could to catch up to us".

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Curt Tomasevicz: "With the sport of bobsledding there’s always that chance that something could go wrong. That’s why it’s a great sport. Until we cross that finish line, nothing’s really written in stone. It was a good feeling when we finally crossed the finish line".

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Congratulations, guys on winning the gold! You represented the United States well, and we are all so very proud of you! I can't imagine a better way to close out the 2010 Winter Olympics.
MM