POSTED: Sunday February 21st 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
You can rightly put him in the Shaun White, Michael Phelps category in his pursuit in his native land - NBC's Matt Vasgersian on Switzerland's Simon Ammann
DAY 9 DAYTIME HIGHLIGHTS OF NBC WINTER OLYMPICS COVERAGE
“Life is absolutely wonderful.”- Women’s halfpipe gold medalist Torah Bright of Australia
VANCOUVER - February 20, 2010 - Daytime coverage of the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games continued today on NBC and MSNBC. On NBC, live coverage included the ski jumping individual K125 gold medal final, men’s cross-country 30km pursuit gold medal final and women’s freestyle skiing aerials competition. Live MSNBC coverage included men’s hockey with Switzerland facing off against Norway and in men’s curling USA taking on Sweden.
Women’s snowboard halfpipe gold medalist Torah Bright of Australia stopped by to chat with daytime host Al Michaels about women’s snowboarding and winning the gold.
Coverage highlights include:
NBC
WOMEN’S HALFPIPE GOLD MEDALIST TORAH BRIGHT ON KNOWING SHE HAD WON GOLD: “I felt that if I landed that run I had a fairly good chance of being where I am now.”
BRIGHT ON WATCHING THE REST OF THE COMPETITION AFTER HER FINAL RUN: “As I watched all the girls come down, I was just praying for safety, what I always pray for, just everyone’s safety. Just wishing that everybody would have their best run. It’s all about our progression as riders ourselves, but also the progression of the sport so you just want to see each other do well.”
BRIGHT ON HER FAMILY SURPRISING HER AT THE GOLD MEDAL FINAL: “My family had kept it a complete secret that my parents were coming. A year ago they weren’t coming, six months ago they weren’t coming, three months ago they weren’t coming. They just weren’t coming. After I finished my second run, my brother pointed up to the stand and said, ‘Do you see Mom and Dad up there?’ And I burst into tears. I couldn’t believe it.”
BRIGHT ON WINNING GOLD AND GETTING MARRIED IN JUNE: “Life is absolutely wonderful.”
SKI JUMPING INDIVIDUAL K125 GOLD MEDAL FINAL
Matt Vasgersian (Play-By-Play), Jeff Hastings (Analyst)
Gold: Simon Ammann, Switzerland
Silver: Adam Malysz, Poland
Bronze: Gregor Schlierenzauer, Austria
HASTINGS ON BIG HILL JUMPING VS. NORMAL HILL: “The normal hill is more about precision. This is about being fearless.”
VASGERSIAN ON SWITZERLAND’S SIMON AMMANN ON MAKING OLYMPIC HISTORY: “Four Olympic Gold Medals for Simon Ammann. A record for Olympic Ski Jumping. In his native Switzerland, folks there are certainly well aware. More gold medals than any other Swiss Olympic athlete, Summer or Winter Games. You can rightly put him in the Shaun White, Michael Phelps category in his pursuit in his native land.”
“If Rodger Daltrey had the most popular scream in Rock ‘n’ Roll and Howard Dean the most popular scream in politics, then Ammann’s gold medal ‘Ya!’ has got to be the most famous scream in ski jumping history.”
HASTINGS ON AMMANN: “He put down the first run so strong, and basically challenged the rest of the field to try and catch him. No one came close to it, and he threw down another beauty.”
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY 30KM PURSUIT GOLD MEDAL FINAL
Al Trautwig (Play-By-Play), Chad Salmela (Analyst)
Gold: Marcus Hellner, Sweden
Silver: Tobias Angerer, Germany
Bronze: Johan Olsson, Sweden
TRAUTWIG ON SWEDEN TAKING GOLD AND BRONZE: “We have two Swedes who have the greatest day they could’ve imagined in these Winter Olympic Games.”
SALMELA ON THE KING OF SWEDEN IN ATTENDENCE: “The king of Sweden is on hand today. That is a special treat for the Swedes to have their king on a gold and bronze day.”
WOMEN’S FREESTYLE SKIING AERIALS COMPETITION
Todd Harris (Play-By-Play), Jonny Moseley (Analyst), Tina Dixon (Reporter)
MOSELEY ON USA’S EMILY COOK: “She’s been on fire today. Consistent, performing under the pressure.”
HARRIS ON COOK: “Her second run was absolutely money.”
MOSELEY ON CHINA’S XU MENGTAO: “She could be the future of this Chinese team.”
MOSELEY ON LYDIA LASSILA OF AUSTRALIA: “This is the only woman that has upset the Chinese this year in competition.”
MSNBC
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY: SWITZERLAND VS. NORWAY
Bill Patrick (Host), Jeremy Roenick (Studio Analyst), Mike Milbury (Studio Analyst), Mike Emrick (Play-by-Play), Eddie Olczyk (Analyst), Pierre McGuire (Reporter)
Switzerland: 5 Norway: 4
ROENICK ON THE GAME: “We have seen some of the best goals that we have seen in this tournament today. Unbelievable talent, unbelievable teamwork.”
ROENICK ON TEAM SWITZERLAND ENJOYING THE OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE: “You look on the bench, and they’re all laughing, having fun and having a blast. That’s what the Olympic experience is like; it’s good to see.”
EMRICK ON SWITZERLAND:"Only the third over-time winning goal in the Olympics."
OLCZYK ON TEAM NORWAY: “The resiliency of this team and being able to overcome those momentum surges by the Swiss, that’s what the Olympic games are about. It’s about creating opportunity, taking advantage of those momentum surges, and just playing within yourself.”
MILBURY ON THE GAME: “This was the most entertaining game of the Olympics.”
MEN’S CURLING: USA VS. SWEDEN
Fred Roggin (Host), Andrew Catalon (Play-by-Play), Don Duguid (Analyst) Elfi Schlegel (Reporter)
USA: 8 Sweden: 7
ROGGIN ON USA'S JOHN SHUSTER BEING BENCHED: “It’s like pulling your quarterback after a losing streak, winning, and then changing back again.”
CATALON ON TEAM USA’S JASON SMITH WINNING THE MATCH FOR USA: “Jason Smith comes through in the clutch, and the U.S. wins its 2nd in a row!”
CATALON ON TEAM USA: “This looks like a different team, it’s amazing what one win will do.”
DUGUID ON TEAM USA’S JOHN SHUSTER’S COOPERATION: “Being the great guy that he is, he said, ‘Ok, well I’m going to live by the decision, but I’m going to support my boys.’ And he did that. So now he is back in, and he took that chance and now he’s playing third. He’s taken that decision really well, so by in large he’s been very strong about this whole thing.”
SCHLEGEL ON THE STRATEGY OF USA’S HEAD COACH PHIL DROBNICK: “Phil told me that there was never a question that John Shuster wouldn’t be back in the game, they new the plan back on Thursday. This break was really just a chance for John to clear his brain and refocus. The challenge, however, for the team is to maintain the energy they found with Chris Plys yesterday and as for Jason Smith throwing last, Phil says they have a hot hand and they are going to keep him rolling. It’s minimal change all around and the team is 110 % behind the decisions made.”
DUGUID ON SWEDEN: “Sweden really plays an aggressive game. A lot of rocks on play; they are not afraid to mix it up.”
BELOW HIGHLIGHTS ARE FROM THIS MORNING’S MSNBC COVERAGE
MSNBC
Midnight - 3:00 a.m.
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY: FINLAND vs. GERMANY
Bill Patrick (Host), Jeremy Roenick (Studio Analyst), Mike Milbury (Studio Analyst), Kenny Albert (Play-by-Play), Joe Micheletti (Analyst)
Finland: 5 Germany: 0
ALBERT ON TEAM FINLAND’S VICTORY: “A 5-0 victory for Finland over Germany. There’s Teemu Selanne, he sets an Olympic record with his 37th career point!”
TEAM FINLAND’S TEEMU SELANNE ON BREAKING AN OLYMPIC SCORING RECORD: “I am not so big of a number guy, especially now when I’m still playing. Maybe one day when I’m not playing I’ll look back and I’ll get a little feeling. But, obviously I’ve played a long time and this is my fifth Olympics, and I’ve always played with great players. They have really helped me and making this possible. It’s a nice honor.”
TEAM FINLAND’S TEEMU SELANNE ON RIVALRY WITH SWEDEN:
“We have a really love and hate relationship with the Swedes. Individually they are all great guys but as a country we always try to compete against each other, and we think they are like our big brothers. It’s hard to beat them, but once in a while you got to do it. So, hopefully Sunday we can do it.”
TEAM FINLAND’S KIMMO TIMONEN ON TEEMU SELANNE BREAKING AN OLYMPIC SCORING RECORD:
“Well, we all know Teemu and what kind of person he is. Off the ice he is great. Great teammate if you need help; he is always there to help you out. Obviously on the ice, how many goals he has scored throughout his career; he is a great piece of our team and a great guy as well.”
TEAM GERMANY’S CHRISTIAN EHRHOFF ON VANCOUVER:
“It’s a lot of fun, it’s a great city and a great host.”
BELOW ARE HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST NIGHT’S CNBC COVERAGE
CNBC
5:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
WOMEN’S CURLING: CANADA VS. SWEDEN
Fred Roggin (Host), Andrew Catalon (Play-by-Play), Don Duguid (Analyst), Elfi Schlegel (Reporter)
Canada: 5 Denmark: 4
DUGUID ON CANADA UNDER PRESSURE: “The big thing about this team is if it’s close, they are dynamite. Nothing bothers them, pressure doesn’t bother them.”
SCHLEGEL ON CANADA: “The Canadians have never won a national title, they’ve never been to a world championship, and curling fans have been a bit critical saying they lack experience to win gold. Canadian coach Elaine Jackson says, ‘they have surpassed expectations; they’re should be no question that they are equipped to win with a perfect record so far.’”
DUGUID ON CANADA: “They’ve got great character, great discipline and they’re a good curling team.”
CATALON ON CANADIAN FANS: “Fans expect a lot, but they are incredibly supportive.”
CATALON ON DENMARK: “Technically Denmark is right there with the other teams but it’s mentally, it’s the confidence that Denmark lacks.”
Members of the media can get more information about NBC Universal and its programming on the NBC Universal Media Village Web site at www.nbcumv.com.
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Keywords · NBC Universal · Vancouver 2010
Name: Lyndsay M Iorio
Organization: NBC Universal
Email:
Phone: 212-664-2160
URL: www.nbcumv.com
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