Lausanne, Switzerland — The United States never has won more than 13 medals at a Winter Olympics. Next month, it expects to almost double that record.
Buoyed by the recent performances of skater Michelle Kwan, skier Bode Miller and others, U.S. Olympic Committee leaders predicted Wednesday that Americans would win at least 20 medals at the Salt Lake City Games.
U.S. prospects figured prominently as new USOC chief executive Lloyd Ward and USOC president Sandra Baldwin met with International Olympic Committee head Jacques Rogge.
"I am very optimistic that we will win our 20 medals," Baldwin said. "It was a real stretch when we started. But my personal count may even be a little higher than that."
The United States, which often dominates the medals table at the Summer Olympics, is not a traditional winter sports power. American athletes won 13 medals at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, matching the total achieved in 1994 at Lillehammer, Norway.
But host nations traditionally experience an increase in medals, and the United States should also benefit from the addition of skeleton and women's bobsled in Salt Lake.
Kwan's scintillating victory at last week's U.S. figure skating championships and Miller's series of wins and podium finishes on the World Cup ski circuit this winter have added to the USOC's high hopes.
"If Michelle Kwan skates as beautifully as she did Sunday it was breathtaking that should surely be a gold," Baldwin said. 'And I think we'll get some golds in skiing."
Baldwin also cited medal chances in snowboarding, freestyle skiing, speedskating and bobsledding.
"It has been the expectation that the United States must get strong in winter sport and this is our showcase opportunity," she said. "We've invested a lot of time and money in having our winter sports do well and we'll have a great legacy with the facilities afterwards. Now we just have to watch it pay off."
Ward said he shared Baldwin's medal expectations.
"Everybody seems to be peaking at the right time," he said. "We like what we see."
Rogge said 20 medals is a "fairly reasonable objective."
"The performance of the home team is of vital importance for the spirit of the games," he said. "Also, the legacy of Salt Lake will give them a more permanent position in winter sports. They were lagging a little bit behind in winter sports compared to the summer. Salt Lake will definitely bridge that gap."
It was Ward's first visit to IOC headquarters and first in-depth meeting with Rogge since his appointment last year as USOC chief. Rogge was elected IOC president in July.
Baldwin has been nominated as an IOC member and is expected to be elected in Salt Lake.
The talks were aimed at strengthening ties between the world's two most powerful Olympic bodies, relations that often have been strained.
"I really want the IOC to understand and feel that Lloyd and I are a great team that really want to work with the IOC and the rest of the world," Baldwin said. "We want to be part of their agenda and want to help them be a part of ours."
Ward, a former Maytag CEO with no previous Olympic experience, said he hit it off with Rogge.
"It was an opportunity to really connect," he said. "We have a lot of work to do at home but we want to be a part of the global movement for the Olympics."
Rogge called Ward "a very capable, intelligent man. He's learning fast."
Ward, a former co-captain of the Michigan State basketball team, said he can't wait for the Winter Games to start on Feb. 8.
"I'm really excited," he said. "It's kind of like playing my first basketball game in college, the adrenaline rush I had before the tip-off. I'm ready to get the games on."
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