Though the media tend to focus on a handful of superstars, no fewer than 2,600 athletes competed in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics—every one of whom represents the best the world has to offer. Setting up shop in town, VF.com invited a wide array of athletes—both lesser-known lights and legends in the making—to share their moment of hard-earned glory.

GRETCHEN BLEILER

Age: 25. Country: U.S.A. Sport: Half-pipe snowboarding. Placed: 11th. Vancouver expectations: “In 2006, my goal was to medal, and I got silver. So coming into this … I really wanted to get the gold medal.” More important than the podium: “Landing my perfect run. And my second run was really close. It was all perfect until that fall.” Go big or go home: “I ran into some struggles with my signature trick, the Crippler Seven, all week, and so I finally got through that on the last run, and that felt really good to have gotten that back … I think it would have been a bummer to not have gone for it and to have gotten third. I came to win and not accept anything less than that.” Post-Olympic plans: “I will probably go to the U.S. Open and try to get that perfect run—just one contest later.”

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