See the History of the Olympics in TIME Covers
January 1, 1984
The expectations were lofty for ski racers Phil Mahre and Tamara McKinney, both the 1983 World Cup champions. McKinney was the first American woman to win the coveted title (and would be the only one until Lindsey Vonn in 2008). And the U.S. wasn’t lauded for their winter sporting prowess at the time. TIME’s cover story put it metaphorically:
“Alpine skiing is baseball to the Swiss, the Scandinavians and the Liechtensteiners. In the U.S., it is barely lacrosse. Skiing is not a necessity in [McKinney’s hometown of] Lexington, Ky.”
But the U.S. was coming off its high of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice,” which saw the powerhouse Soviet Union hockey team fall to the Americans. Four years later, as American athletes prepared for its next Winter Olympics showing, TIME noted in its cover story: “Well, innocence may be catching up with America, because the U.S. is certainly gaining on the cold world.”
Mahre clinched gold in the slalom, while McKinney took fourth in the giant slalom, behind two of her American teammates.
Olympic Covers
- Sochi, 2014: Terror Fears
- London, 2012: Swimming Rivalry
- Beijing, 2008: Basketball Player LeBron James
- Turin, 2006: Skier Bode Miller
- Athens, 2004: Swimmer Michael Phelps
- Salt Lake City, 2002: Figure Skater Sarah Hughes
- Salt Lake City, 2002: Figure Skaters Jamie Sale & David Pelletier
- Sydney, 2000: Track Star Marion Jones
- Atlanta, 1996: Track Star Michael Johnson
- Atlanta, 1996: Michael Johnson’s Golden Feat
- Atlanta, 1996: Gymnast Kerri Strug & Bombing Victim Alice Hawthorne
- Lillehammer, 1994: Figure Skaters Nancy Kerrigan & Tonya Harding
- Barcelona, 1992: Gymnast Kim Zmeskal
- Calgary, 1988: Figure Skater Debi Thomas
- Seoul, 1988: Track and Field Star Jackie Joyner-Kersee
- Sarajevo, 1984: Skiers Phil Mahre and Tamara McKinney
- Los Angeles, 1984: Organizer Peter Ueberroth
- Los Angeles, 1984: Soviets Boycott the Games
- Los Angeles, 1984: Track and Field Star Carl Lewis
- Los Angeles, 1984: Carl Lewis Claims Gold
- Lake Placid, 1980: Speed Skaters Eric and Beth Heiden
- Innsbruck, 1976: Skater Dorothy Hamill
- Montreal, 1976: Gymnast Nadia Comeneci
- Munich,1972: Swimmer Mark Spitz
- 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre
- Rome, 1960: Decathlete Rafer Johnson
- Melbourne, 1956: Shotputter Parry O’Brien
- Oslo, 1952: Ski Racer Andrea Mead Lawrence
- Helsinki, 1952: Decathlete Bob Mathias
- London, 1948: Track Star Mel Patton
- Swimmer Eleanor Holm, 1939
- Paris, 1924: Crew Captain James S. Rockefeller
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