I awoke with a start at 11:15 a.m. on Sunday February 19. The first thing I heard upon my waking was the roar of thousands of voices echoing across the valley from the Cross-Country Skiing stadium in Pragelato Plan. I knew this could only mean one thing: Italy had won the biggest Cross-Country Skiing race, the Men’s 4x10 Relay.

Teams of four men compete in this event; each athlete completes a 10 kilometer leg (equivalent to about 6.2 miles). The first two athletes use the classical technique; the final two use freestyle. The total time of the race for the winning teams is usually around 1 hour 40 minutes.

Over the course of the last three Winter Olympic Games, the race for gold in the Men’s 4x10 Relay has come down to two nations: Italy and Norway. In the 1994 Lillehammer Games, it was Italy who defeated Norway on their home snow. Italy’s victory was short-lived; in both the 1998 Nagano Games and the 2002 Salt Lake Games, Norway defeated Italy in Cross-Country’s premiere event. Over the course of the three 40 kilometer races, the total time separating the two countries was a mere one-tenth of a second.

The pressure was on for Norway coming into the 2006 Torino Games; could they defeat Italy on their home snow? That question was answered with a resounding “no” on the morning on February 19. Italy’s Cristian Zorzi completed the race 15.7 seconds ahead of any other team; Norway finished with a disappointing fifth-place standing. In fact, Zorzi was so far ahead by the time that he reached the stadium that he had time to stop and pick up an Italian flag from a fan to carry with him as he crossed the finish line. The roar of the crowd was tremendous; it carried throughout the valley, all the way to my open window in my hotel room.

Cross-Country Skiing is not very popular in the United States, but the American lack of interest in the sport is certainly made up for by Europeans. The enthusiasm displayed by the thousands of spectators that would turn up each day to the venue in Pragelato Plan was not something I had expected before arriving at the Olympics. I certainly never imagined it would be the cause of my waking that Sunday morning. The realization that Italy had won this particular race on their home snow is one of my most cherished moments from my time at the Olympics, and the memory of it brings a smile to my face even now.