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Ice-cold drama at the Winter Olympics

As Beijing 2022 is about to begin, we look back at the drama, emotion and sporting prowess on display at previous Winter Olympic Games.

Birger Ruud of Norway, 19 years old, makes a jump at Lake Placid, N.Y., during the 1932 Winter Olympics, Feb. 13, 1932. He won the ski jumping title with leaps of 218 and 226 feet. (AP Photo)

Members of the U.S. Olympic team march behind the American flag into the Ski Stadium in the snow, during opening ceremonies of the IV Winter Olympic Games, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Feb. 6, 1936. There are 668 athletes participating from 28 nations. (AP Photo)

AP Photographers J. Walter Green, left, of AP Rome, and Len Puttnam of AP London, battled the snow to get new camera angles, at the Winter Olympic Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland in 1948. (AP Corporate Archives)

Wilbur Lee Martin of the U.S.A. competing in the Olympic skeleton race held on the Cresta Run, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Feb. 3, 1948. (AP Photo/J. Walter Green)

Spills and skating end the Winter Olympics, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Feb. 12, 1948. (British Movietone/AP Archive)

Barbara Ann Scott of Canada at the Winter Olympic Games, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on Feb. 6, 1948. Scott won the gold medal in the women’s figure skating and is seen repeating some leaps for photographers. (AP Photo/J. Walter Green)

Speed skater Roald Aas of Norway is pictured in action during the men's 1500-meter Olympic race during a blizzard in Oslo, Norway, Feb. 18, 1952. He came in at third place. (AP Photo/Rider-Rider)

Lyubov Kozyreva of the Soviet Union, winning the women's 10 kilometer cross country ski event, at the seventh Winter Olympic Games, in Cortina, Italy, on Jan. 28, 1956. (AP Photo)

Members of the U.S. hockey team scramble on the ice for the puck a moment after they beat the highly-favored Canadian team, 2-1, in the Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley, Calif., Feb. 25, 1960. And right in the middle of the pile, his skateless feet in contrast to those of his players, is the American coach, Jack Riley. (AP Photo/Dick Strobel)

A competitor soars through the air during the men's 120-metre ski jump IX Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria, on Feb. 9, 1964. (AP Photo)

Winners of women’s downhill Olympic skiing celebrate on the victory rostrum, at Chamrousse in Grenoble, France, on Feb. 10, 1968. From left to right are: Isabelle Mir of France, who placed 2nd; Olga Pall of Austria who placed 1st and Christl Haas of Austria, who placed 3rd. (AP Photo/Jacques Marqueton)

Bernhard Russi of Switzerland wipes away a tear as he learns that he has won the Olympic gold medal in the men’s downhill ski race, at Mount Eniwa in Sapporo, on Feb. 7, 1972. (AP Photo/Horst Faas)

Ernst Good of Switzerland passes at speed a giant slalom gate with an Olympic sign, on the men’s giant slalom race course, in Lizum, Innsbruck, Feb. 10, 1976. He won the silver medal. (AP Photo/Dieter Endlicher)

Soviet forward Vladimir Petrov has the stick of USA's William Baker caught between his shoe and blade, during the second period of the USA vs. USSR ice hockey playoff round game at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, on Feb. 22, 1980. The USA won 4-3. (AP Photo)

Great Britain’s Jayne Torvill lies on ice at Zetra Arena in Sarajevo, Feb. 12, 1984, in the grand finale of her dance with partner Christopher Dean, at the Winter Olympic Games. It was an intentionally dramatic ending to the routine. (AP Photo/Michel Lipchitz)

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean perform their "Bolero" ice dancing routine, at the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Feb. 14, 1984. The pair received an unprecedented 12 perfect scores to win the gold medal. (AP Photo)

East Germany’s Joerg Hoffmann, front, and Jochen Pietzsch speed down the luge course on their way to the gold medal, in Olympic luge doubles in Calgary, on Feb. 19, 1988. East Germany took six of the nine medals awarded in the luge competition. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, flanked by policemen, is welcomed by crowds at his hometown of Cheltenham, England, March 3, 1988. Edwards was guest of honor at a reception given by civic dignitaries, on his return from the Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)

Daniel Petryk, left, and Donald Bartlett of Canada sweep ahead of the stone during their curling match against Switzerland, in Pralognan la Vanoise, France, on Feb. 21, 1992. Switzerland won 8-4. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

American figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, left, looks in the direction of teammate Tonya Harding during their practice session, before the women's technical program got underway later in the day in Hamar, Norway, on Feb. 23, 1994. (AP Photo/John Gaps III)

American Nancy Kerrigan performs during the technical program portion of the Olympic women's figure skating competition at the Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre in Norway, on Feb. 23, 1994. Kerrigan finished the technical program in first place. (AP Photo/Denis Paquin)

Dudley Stokes, captain of the Jamaican bobsled team for the Nagano Winter Olympics, right, smiles back at his team members as they demonstrate the bobsled pushing form during a sending-off reception for the team at a Tokyo hotel on Feb. 4, 1998. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Rachel Steer of the United States, competes in the women's 7.5Km biathlon sprint at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, on Feb. 13, 2002, at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Norway's Ole Einar Bjoerndalen shoots during the Winter Olympics men's 20Km biathlon, on Feb. 11, 2002, at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. Bjoerndalen clinched the gold medal. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)

Takaharu Nakai of Japan jumps during a training session for the Men's Olympic Snowboard Half Pipe competition in Bardonecchia, Italy, on Feb. 10, 2006. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau)

Norway's Marit Bjorgen lies on the snow after crossing the finish line to take the silver medal during the Women's 10k Classical Cross Country race at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Pragelato Plan, Italy, on Feb. 16, 2006. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)


Photo editing by Katherine O’Mara

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