By Paul Osborne

The United States Olympic Committee has announced the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games honorees for the Best of US awards ©Getty ImagesApril 2 - Outstanding America athletes who competed at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games have today been honoured by the United States Olympic Committee in the inaugural Best of the US awards programme.

Determined by a fan vote, the award programme looks to recognise the remarkable performances by the US' outstanding Olympic and Paralympic athletes from Sochi.

Slopestyle snowboarder Sage Kotsenburg was named Best Male Olympian for his performance in winning the first gold medal of the Olympics.

After landing a trick he had never attempted before, the 1620 Japan or "Holy Crail", Kotsenburg secured the gold medal in the inaugural slopestyle snowboarding event and ensured the US won the first gold medal of a Games for the first time since Oslo 1952.

Erin Hamlin's historic performance in the women's singles luge has led her to be named Best Female Olympian.

Hamlin became the first ever US Olympic medallist in the singles luge after taking bronze at the Sanki Sliding Centre in Sochi.

The result also broke a 34-year German and Austrian hold on the women's luge Olympic podium.

Erin Hamlin made history when she became the first US athletes to win a medal in the singles luge event at a Winter Games ©Getty ImagesErin Hamlin made history when she became the first US athletes to win a medal in the singles luge event at a Winter Games ©Getty Images



The ice dancing pairing of Meryl Davis sand Charlie White were named Team of the Olympic Games after their record-breaking performance in Sochi.

The duo secured the first US ice dancing gold medal with world record scores in the short dance, free dance and total and also helped the US team to a bronze medal in the team event.

On the Paralympic side, Alpine skier Mark Bathum earned the award for Best Male Paralympian following his double-silver medal in the visually impaired alpine skiing competition alongside guide Cade Yamamoto.

Bathum's silver medals came in the super-G and the super combined events.

It was another Alpine skier who won the Best Female Paralympian with Stephanie Jallen picking up the accolade.

Jallen impressed in her first-ever Paralympic Games, taking bronze in her first event, the women's standing super-G, before secured another bronze in the super-combined event.

The US men's sledge hockey team won Team of the Paralympic Games after claiming the first ever back-to-back Paralympic sledge hockey gold medals in the history of the Games with its 1-0 win against Russia.

The US men's ice sledge hockey team became the first team to win back-to-back titles at the Paralympic Games ©Getty ImagesThe US men's ice sledge hockey team became the first team to win back-to-back titles at the Paralympic Games ©Getty Images



The Best of the US awards also saw the naming of the moment of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Noelle Pikus-Pace earned the award on the Olympic side following her medal celebration after winning silver in the women's skeleton with a four-run time of 3min 53.86sec.

Jallen was awarded the honour on the Paralympic side after her reaction upon earning the bronze medal in her first ever Paralympic competition, the super-G standing event.

Stephanie Ticali's second and third-grade students from Horace Mann Elementary in West Alllis, Wisconsin were selected Team USA's biggest supporters from the Sochi Games.

The school is part of Classroom Champions, a programme that connects Olympic athletes with students across the country and motivates them to set goals, play fair and recognise their potential.

The final award was handed to Kori Ade, who picked up the USG Building Dreams Award, which honours an individual who has gone above and beyond in his/her support of athletes from the US.

Ade has dedicated 14 years to developing 2014 figure skater Jason Brown into a world-class competitor, guiding him through the junior ranks to his first Olympic appearance in Sochi, where he contributed to the US team's bronze medal and placed ninth in the men's competition.

The 10 awards were presented during a live taping of the inaugural Best of US Awards Show supported by USG, held at the Warner Theatre in Washington DC.

The show will air on April 7 on NBCSN from 7-8 pm Eastern Time.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
March 2014: United States fans can vote for Paralympic athlete of Sochi 2014 after shortlist of eight revealed
March 2014: Sochi 2014 gold medallists dominate USOC Athlete of Month awards for February
February 2014: Yarnold wins skeleton to maintain 100 per cent British medal record in event
February 2014: American slopestyle snowboarder wins first gold medal of Sochi 2014