(NEXSTAR) – U.S. cross-country skiers Ben Ogden and Gus Schumacher won silver medals at the Milan Cortina Winter Games, making the games the most successful Olympic performance in the history of the American men’s team. Ogden earned an individual silver in the sprint, while the duo teamed up to take second place in the men’s team relay.
The achievement marks a historic turning point for the U.S. men’s cross-country program, which had only won one Olympic medal in its history prior to these games. Before Ogden’s sprint medal on Feb. 10, the only American man to reach the podium in the sport was Bill Koch, who won silver at the 1976 Innsbruck Games.
Ogden’s achievement followed years of preparation and goal-setting for the American team. “It was incredible and yeah, really like a huge goal of ours that we’ve talked about and worked on and sort of like had on the calendar for many years, honestly,” Ogden said. “To be able to like get it done on the day was just like so incredible.”…