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Sochi Olympics week one: 5 athletes who have won hearts

A few Team USA athletes sparked global attention by things other than their Olympic prowess (though that helped too). Here are five Olympians who caught our eye this week.

3. Lanny Barnes

Shaun Stanley / AP
This April 24, 2013 photo shows Tracy Barnes, left, watching her twin sister Lanny Barnes take aim near Molas Pass after a morning workout.

Lanny Barnes finished short of the podium in the women’s biathlon race on Friday, but even competing in these Winter Games was not in her cards a month ago. She got her spot when her twin sister Tracy, also a biathlon athlete who did win a selection to the US Olympic team, voluntarily stepped down so Lanny could take her place.

Lanny Barnes initially missed the cut after falling ill during the qualification rounds. She was left standing next-in-line based on her past performance, which included finishing 23rd in the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. Tracy persuaded her to go in her stead, albeit with much difficulty from the initially reluctant Lanny. "I've always thought she's the stronger athlete," Tracy told ESPN last month. "She disagrees."

The two sisters from Durango, Colorado, have trained together for 15 years and competed alongside each other in the 2006 Winter Games in Turin. 

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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