On the recordMarch 5, 2014
I rise today to congratulate athletes with strong Idaho ties who competed in the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and contributed to three of the U.S. Olympic team's 28 total medals. Their dedication is inspiring. Idaho-connected Olympians earned two gold medals and one silver medal in the Olympic Games in Sochi. Kaitlyn Farrington, who was raised on a ranch in Bellevue, Idaho, earned a gold medal competing for the first time as an Olympic snowboarder in the halfpipe competition. Hilary Knight of Sun Valley competed once again in women's hockey in the 2014 Winter Olympics where the team earned a silver medal. Additionally, Sage Kotsenburg, a Coeur d'Alene native, took home the first-ever gold medal in the new men's slope style event and the first U.S. gold medal in the 2014 Winter Olympics. Six other remarkable athletes also represented our state and nation well on the U.S. Olympic team. Nick Cunningham, a graduate of Boise State University and Sergeant in the New York National Guard, earned 12th place in both the two-man bobsled and four-man bobsled competitions. Erik Fisher, an alpine skier from Middleton, Idaho, went to Sochi as part of the U.S. Olympic team. Simi Hamilton, a Sun Valley skier, competed in cross country skiing, and he placed 6th in the men's team sprint classic and 11th in the men's 4x10k relay. Nate Holland, who grew up in Sandpoint, Idaho, placed 25th in men's snowboardcross in Sochi.…





