Winter Games: The Training Secrets of American Gold Medalists
Shaun White trains on private half-pipe. Lindsey Vonn has secret regimen.
Feb. 21, 2010— -- Lindsey Vonn is America's golden girl on the slopes, the best female skier in the world. Her body is so strong, she races on mens' skis.
Vonn's grueling training regimen was kept secret from competitors before the Olympics, conducted in hidden facilities. While other skiers have been wiping out, what was she doing to prepare her for that flawless landing on her gold-medal run?
Her team revealed to ABC News a key part of Vonn's secret workout. Her coaches attached two tight ropes to opposite walls, and Vonn balanced one foot on each of them. While keeping her balance, the Olympian threw a stability ball repeatedly against a wall.
That's just part of her eight-hour-per-day training schedule, six days a week.
On plane trips, Vonn is known to do push-ups in the aisle. And in between her two races Wednesday, she was indoors, spinning on a bicycle.
Shani Davis's Thin Blades Skating on Ice
Then there's Shani Davis. Already a trailblazer in the last Olympics as the first black athlete to win gold in an individual winter sport, he won his second gold and a silver in speed skating here.
He chose his own coaches, separate from the U.S. skating team, and then he created his own training regimen.
Though he won his gold on the long track in Vancouver, Davis actually takes the unorthodox approach of practicing on the short track. He essentially sprints on the ice for up to 11 hours a day.
Davis's skates are custom made, with blades 17.5 inches long and just 1/16th of an inch wide. It's a mere sliver of metal to prop up his hulking 6-foot-2-inch frame.
Private Half-Pipe for Shaun White
And then, there's Shaun White. The now two-time gold medal-winning snowboarder had his pipe dream come true Wednesday night. Like Lindsay Vonn, White trains in hiding to keep his original moves secret from the competition.
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