Ivan Garanin of the Soviet Union, who finished third behind Koch and earned the bronze medal, said, "We knew the American was strong, but we were surprised to see him finish second." "It makes me feel very excited and I hope the American people are very excited, too," Koch declared. Savaliev's time was 1 hour 30 minutes and 29.35 seconds. (File Photo)īut the biggest surprise was Koch, who covered the 18.6-mile course in 1 hour 31 minutes and 59.57 seconds to finish second behind Sergei Savaliev of the Soviet Union. Sheila Young of Detroit, who holds the record for 500 meters, finished second in the 1,500 meters for a silver medal.Īnd, while Austrian superskier Franz Klammer won the downhill as expected, Andy Mill of Aspen, Colorado, was sixth, Greg Jones of Tahoe City, California, 11th and Pete Patterson of Sun Valley, Idaho, 13th in the best American downhill showing since 1952.īill Koch's silver was the first time in 12 Olympics that an American has won a medal in a Nordic cross-country skiing and jumping event. It was the first time in 12 Olympics that an American has won a medal in a Nordic cross-country skiing and jumping event and highlighted a surprisingly productive day for U.S. 5 Bill Koch, a 20-year-old cross-country skier from Guilford, Vt., pulled off the biggest surprise of the second day of the Winter Olympics today by winning a silver medal in the 30-kilometer event. Koch Stuns Nordic Skiers Klammer Wins DownhillĪustria's Franz Klammer said he sacrificed safety for speed in the final 200 meters of the downhill. : Koch Stuns Nordic Skiers Klammer Wins Downhill
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