India, Feb. 20 -- Do the names Marit Bjorgen, Ingemar Stenmark, Alberto Tomba, Kjetil Andre Aamodt and Katarina Witt evoke the same feeling of awe and wonder in you that Emil Zatopek, Nadia Comaneci, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky do?

Do they quicken the pulse and stir the soul? Invoke images of grit, glory and gold, across eras and geographies?

If the answer to these questions is in the affirmative, let us hurtle down this slope together. If you have no idea what we're talking about, put on your snow goggles and stick around.

As the 25th edition of the Winter Olympics - or Milano Cortina 2026 -- comes to a close today, it's a good time to tune into sport's ultimate song of ice and fire.

FULL CIRCLE

First, an event from...