Olympics: Governor, Legislature honor Steven Holcomb

Bobsledder Steve Holcomb on Monday gave the Legislature a golden, or at least double bronze, thank you for its support of winter sports.

Wearing his two bronze medals from the Sochi games, he gave lawmakers thanks for their support of winter-sports facilities in the state following the 2002 games, saying "the training time and the facilities are amazing."

He noted that Gov. Gary Herbert told him earlier that if Utah were a country, it would have finished ninth in the medal standings at the Sochi games. "It goes to show you have important and great" support for winters sports is in Utah, he said.

He noted he helped break a 62-year drought this year for medaling in the two-man bobsled. Also, it was 62 years since the United States had medaled in both the four-man and two-man bobsled.

House Majority Leader Brad Dee, R-Ogden, said the United States was not thought of as factor in bobsledding, "and here we have, in the last two Olympics, a three-time medalist."

Dee called Holcomb "one of the best bobsled drivers in the history of the sport," and part of Utah's Olympic legacy.

— Lee Davidson and Robert Gehrke