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Andrew Weibrecht ripped the Olympic Super G from start to finish to win a surprising silver medal for Team USA.

Weibrecht, a gutsy five-foot-six fireplug nicknamed “the Warhorse,” is considered one of the fastest skiers on the World Cup tour but he was a distant long-shot in the Olympics after a painful string of injuries and surgeries. He attacked the Super G course with ferocity to beat out his better known teammate Bode Miller for silver, missing a gold medal by just .30 seconds.

Kjetil Jansrud of Norway won the gold, while Miller tied for third with Canadian Jan Hudec.

Weibrecht grew up slicing the ice on Whiteface Mountain near Lake Placid, New York. He also helps run a summer racing camp on Mount Hood with Ted Ligety. Like Julia Mancuso, he has a knack for finding a new gear in big races. His top finish in World Cup races this season was 20th place, and his only other podium at the top level of ski racing was his even more surprising Super G Olympic bronze medal in 2010 in Vancouver. Since Vancouver he has powered his way through four serious injuries in three years and a demotion to the US. Ski Team’s B Team.

But none of those past hardships could slow him down in the Super G. If you haven’t seen his run yet I highly recommend finding it on NBC Sports Live Extra and streaming it.

With his new silver medal Weibrecht now joins some excellent company for American male skiers who have won more than one Olympic medal: Phil Mahre, Tommy Moe and Bode Miller.

After finishing his race and looking up at his time, Weibrecht started to weep. He told reporters it was “just the most emotional day I’ve ever had on skis.”

It was also an emotional day for Bode Miller, who won his sixth Olympic medal after fighting back from injuries and the tragic death of his younger brother Chelone, a top-level snowboarder who died at 29 last April after a seizure.

The 36-year-old Miller attacked the course with passion and averted disaster at top speed with his trademark improvisational balance. His third-place finish gives him six Olympic medals in all, most ever for a U.S. skier.

Last modified: February 18, 2014