Gold medal podium memories still fresh for Phil Mahre

This has been the best Winter Olympics for the United States since the 1932 Games in Lake Placid, New York, when just 17 countries competed.  The Gold medal count has reached 9 at the moment and could go higher.

When I watch an athlete stand atop the Olympic podium and receive their gold medal and then listen as their national anthem is played, I often times wonder what is going through their minds at that very moment.

Former gold medalist Phil Mahre, who along with his twin brother, Steve, became world class alpine skiers and for all intents and purposes Phil was the greatest American skier until Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn came along, winning 27 World Cup races and three overall World Cup’s from 1981-83.  He won a silver medal in the ‘80 games in Lake Placid and a gold in the slalom in Sarajevo in 1984.

He recently was speaking with a colleague of mine, Matt Fulks about what happened to him when he stepped onto the podium and received his gold medal.

“That’s one that really changed my whole career”, said Mahre, “Prior to that I always thought it was about me.”

"Sports are pretty selfish, you don’t do them for anybody but yourself, really in the grand scheme of things.  When I won my medal in Sarajevo I thought that was going to be my moment.  I was going to get up on the victory stand and it was all about me.

Then they start to play your national anthem and you realize that it’s not just yours, it’s America’s.  A lot of thoughts go through your mind and for me all lot of people were standing up on that podium with me.  Family, friends, coaches, servicemen, everybody who ever donated money to the Olympic movement, everybody that ever wished me luck and it became very emotional.  It was a situation where my Olympic dreams would have never come true had it not been for America.” 

Then Phil Mahre cracked up.  “I’ve never listened to the national anthem the same since then....whew...sorry....touching.....a lot of people to thank.”

You listen to the emotion in his voice and you know there is something good at the heart of sports and the Olympics.  They are worth it.  For everyone involved.  The athletes, coaches, volunteers and the families.