Big names deliver gold

Team USA had three of its big names out yesterday...and all delivered gold.

Speed skater Shani Davis defended his gold in the 1,000 meters.

Quickly, go back to Torino in '06. Davis and USA teammate Chad Hedrick were not being viewed as teammates. They were looked at as bitter rivals, almost enemies. After yesterday's medal ceremony, Hedrick, who took the bronze medal, joined Davis, and they actually acted like teammates...for a while.

But this moment was clearly Davis' to cherish. Ask him. He'll tell you.

"It's my moment, it's my party. Like the girl who says she can cry if she wants to, I can party if I want to. It's my party, I can celebrate, I can dance, I can do whatever I want. I earned it."

Yes, Shani, you did. This is your event. Dropping out of the 500m to concentrate on your specialty looks like a brilliant move.

But the shoulder still appears a bit cold.

Unlike Davis and Hedrick, it appears that alpine skier Lindsey Vonn has no clear rival.

After days of poor weather and the talk of an injured shin, Vonn captured the gold in the women's downhill.

It was clear while watching that Vonn was favoring the right shin, but it didn't deter her from accomplishing step #1 in her quest for a possible five medals. Vonn is expected to compete in that many events. I do think there's a chance we may see her pull out of at least one due to the skiing schedule being backloaded because of the reshuffling of events.

Vonn's USA teammate, Julia Mancuso, joined her on the podium by winning silver. Mancuso had struggled recently due to back issues. Winning the silver just may be the signal to the world that she has recovered.

Two events, four medals...so far. The best was yet to come for the American delegation.

In the nightcap, snowboarder Shaun White delivered a run that will be remembered for quite a while.

Knowing he already had defended the gold he'd won in Torino, White was merely doing a "victory lap". White had scored a 46.8 on his first run and the closest score was 45.0. Go for it and have fun. So, White does what White always does, he delivered.

As it turns out, he delivered the run of his life, ending it with the most insane trick ever witnessed, the Double McTwist 1260. What makes White's completion of the trick even more amazing is the total lack of speed he had going into his last trick.

To watch both of White's runs, go here.

This is stuff legends are made of, and White is developing that tag. Rightfully so. He's won multiple X-Games gold, both winter and summer. Now, add the two golds around his neck. White can be mentioned, if you weren't doing it already, in the same breath as Tony Hawk.

Joining White on the podium was Scott Lago who secured the bronze medal for the United States.

Not a bad haul for three events. Three golds, a silver and two bronze.