Another U.S. Out Olympian Wins Medal

Team USA has another out medal winner in Brittany Bowe.

The speed skating team will leave PyeongChang with a bronze medal thanks in part to a solid performance today by the out Olympian in the team pursuit event.

Along with Heather Bergsma and Mia Manganella, Team USA crossed the line in the bronze medal round with a time of 2 minutes and 59.17 seconds, more than half a second faster than Team Canada's time on 2 minutes, 59.7 seconds. More impressive, the U.S. was not supposed to make the semifinals in team pursuit at all but earlier this week scored the fourth highest time.

Earlier today, Team USA faced Team Netherland but lost that round as the Dutch skaters advanced to the gold medal round against Japan. In fact, in that round, Team USA had a time of 3 minutes, 7.28 seconds, and Canada finished with 3 minutes, 1.84 seconds against Japan.

But Bowe and Bergsma, who Bowe lists in her bio as a personal hero at the same level as Bonnie Blair, both put in strong skates. And despite a slight scare with Manganella nearly falling, the team posted its best time of the games.

This was Bowe's fourth event in PyeongChang, and she's come tantalizingly close to the podium multiple times already. In individual skates, she came in 5^th place in the 500- and 1,500-meter, and came in 4^th in the 1,000-meter. She said after the 1,000 that coming so close only made her "hungry."

That appetite was fed today.

This is the first time the U.S. has won a speed-skating medal since the 2010 games in Vancouver. Bowe also was part of Team USA when the nation was shut out in speed-skating medals four years ago in Sochi, and she has been one of the best hopes for a medal for the nation this year.

Bowe in October spoke to NBC about dating fellow competitive speed skater Manon Kamminga of The Netherlands.

The team from The Netherlands, including legendary out skater Ireen Wust, won silver in the event.