He had the look of a champion. Pumping his fists in the air after crossing the finish line, spraying the snow beneath his skis as the crowd roared its approval, Ireland's Paul Patrick Schwarzacher-Joyce was the picture of exuberance. Only two more downhill racers remained. It was all but official. He was about to finish last.

That's right. Number 53 out of 53. Slowest of the bunch. Bottom of the barrel. The rear McCoy.

It's a story that never gets old. As much as we love the athlete who overcomes adversity to finally win the big one, we're also suckers for the back-of-the-pack straggler who's determined to finish no matter what. And on a sunny Sunday morning high atop the Wasatch Mountains, that was this Irishman's story.

Though Schwarzacher-Joyce is 29, he's been skiing competitively for only six years. He finished 27th in Nagano, and was already trailing badly on the steep Snowbasin course when he wiped out about two-thirds of the way down. Watching it all unfold on a giant video screen, the crowd below groaned in unison. But no sooner had Paul Patrick hit the snow than he was bouncing back up on his skis -- and up with him went a huge cheer from the fans.

By the time Schwarzacher-Joyce flew over Buffalo Jump and into full view, resuming his what-the-tuck position for the home stretch, the cow bells were clanging like crazy. When he finally crossed the finish line, he was a whopping 15.29 seconds behind Austrian gold medalist Fritz Strobl. But nobody cared -- least of all, Double P. His enthusiasm was so infectious, it came back at him ten-fold as he clasped his hands together overhead, soaking in the love and grinning like a winner.

So maybe he didn't own the mountain, or even a small part of it. But for a few sweet moments on a beautiful day, the crowd was all his.

Sue Hovey is the Olympics editor for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail her at sue.hovey@espnmag.com.