Sports: Swifter, Higher, Stronger

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver is one of those seminal sessions of the Games where a common theme emerges. This year, several sports have illustrated the continual (and sometimes risky) expansion of the boundaries of human athleticism. Consider:

- Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili dies in a tragic accident during a training run before the opening of the Games. He was thrown off his luge and collided with a steel column at 90 mph. The accident occurred on one of the fastest luge tracks ever designed, with lugers reaching record speeds of up to 95 mph. Officials hurried to modify the track and moved the start positions for all luge events, to some controversy.

- Snowboarder Shaun White annihilates the competition with stratospheric airs and an innovative trick, the Double McTwist 1260. White had only perfected the trick in a Grand Prix event right before the Olympics (of course, it helps when Red Bull builds you your own private half pipe to practice in). Meanwhile, injured snowboarder Kevin Pearce is learning how to walk again after he damaged his brain during training (Pearce was wearing a helmet).

- Evan Lysacek edges out Evgeni Plushenko, sparking a debate over the future of figure skating (here's the best, most neutral breakdown of what happened). Part of the reason Lysacek didn't perform the "quad," skating's most difficult jump? The physical toll on his foot and the risk of injury during training.