Hello from Beijing!
Today is Day 14 of the Beijing Olympics. Here are AP’s coverage plans. All times are Eastern. For questions, please email Amanda Barrett at abarrett@ap.org. Find the latest Olympics coverage plans on Coverage Plan. For expanded content, visit AP’s Olympics hub on AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 877-836-9477. For questions about the digital news experience or medals tables, please email Barry Bedlan at bbedlan@ap.org.
HAPPENING IN BEIJING
Eileen Gu captured Olympic gold in the women’s ski halfpipe final to become the first action-sports athlete to pick up three medals at the same Winter Games.
___
TRENDING NEWS
OLY--SKI-ON SKIING-US WOES — The United States is leaving the Beijing Olympics with just one of the 30 individual medals awarded in Alpine skiing. And it’s a silver. The last time the country that produced Winter Games greats such as Bode Miller, Lindsey Vonn, Ted Ligety and Julia Mancuso in recent years earned just one ski racing medal at an Olympics was 1998. So what went wrong this time? By AP National Writer Howard Fendrich. SENT: 743 words, photos.
OLY-CURLING TECH — Rocks and ice, meet tablets and big data. The centuries-old sport of curling, steeped in tradition, is moving into the digital age with the use of analytics and cloud computing at the Beijing Olympics helping teams like Britain maximize their chances at a medal. By Kelvin Chan and Jimmy Golen. SENT: 877 words, photos.
OLY-FRE-HALFPIPE-BEATS — Freestyle skier’s fill their world with “double corks” and “Japan grabs” in the halfpipe but it’s often the music that helps sync it all together. Those air pods are almost as important as the bindings on their skis. By Pat Graham. SENT: 561 words, photos.
___
TOP STORIES
OLY-FRE-HALFPIPE — Even when Eileen Gu’s simply taking a celebratory stroll through the halfpipe, she’s still so stylish and makes it look so effortless. The 18-year-old American-born freestyle skier who represents China captured Olympic gold in the women’s halfpipe on a breezy and cold Friday morning to become the first action-sports athlete to pick up three medals at the same Winter Games. By Eddie Pells. SENT: 991 words, photos.
OLY-FIG-AGE OF THE QUAD — The quadruple jumps that sent Russian world champ Anna Shcherbakova to the gold medal and teammate Alexandra Trusova to the silver could be a thing of the past by the 2026 Games. That’s because more and more people are pushing for the age limit in figure skating to be raised above 16 following the collapse of another Russian, 15-year-old Kamila Valieva, during Thursday night’s free skate. By Dave Skretta. SENT: 923 words, photos.
OLY--FIG-BACH-RUSSIA — The endless Olympic story of unethical culture in Russian sport has returned in Beijing to cast a pall over the fifth straight Games in the nine years of Thomas Bach’s IOC presidency. By Graham Dunbar. UPCOMING: 650 words by 7 a.m., photos.
OLY--FIG-RUSSIAN SKATER-CAS RULING — The judges who let Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva continue to compete at the Beijing Olympics blamed anti-doping officials for a “failure to function effectively.” The Court of Arbitration for Sport explained its verdict in a 41-page document, citing the “untenable delay” at the testing laboratory in Sweden as a reason for letting the 15-year-old Valieva skate in the women’s competition. SENT: 493 words, photos.
OLY--FIG-PAUL NEWBERRY-THE OLYMPIC IDEAL — No matter how the IOC tries to spin it, the enduring symbol of the Beijing Games -- and really, the entire Olympic movement -- is a 15-year-old girl put in an untenable position by adults who should be ashamed of themselves. There are lots of serious issues to be addressed after the flame is extinguished, from doping standards to age limits to coaching bullies, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the bigger question: What will it take for the Olympics to truly live up to its ideals? Is meaningful change even possible at this point? By Sports Columnist Paul Newberry. SENT: 976 words, photos.
___
GLIMPSES AND GALLERIES
OLY-GLIMPSES-HOCKEY CELEBRATION — If you were going to name this photo, you might call it “Layers of Happiness." In an image, taken by Associated Press photographer Matt Slocum, the Canadian women’s Olympic hockey team skates jubilantly across the ice Thursday with their newly acquired gold medals after defeating the United States. SENT: 223 words, photo.
OLY--DAY 13-PHOTO-GALLERY — Valieva, Shiffrin stumble on Day 13 of the Olympics. SENT: 46 words, photos.
OLY—FLAGS-PHOTO GALLERY — AP photographers take a look at how flags were displayed by athletes and spectators. UPCOMING: 100 words by 9 a.m., photos.
____
THE ATHLETES
OLY-FRE-CELEBRATING SARAH — Cassie Sharpe shared the podium Friday with her Canadian teammate Rachael Karker. These halfpipe skiers know they’re never alone up there. Another member of their Canadian family, the late Sarah Burke, is the reason they were given this chance. By Pat Graham and Eddie Pells. SENT: 593 words, photos.
OLY—BOB-CHURCH’S TIME — Hunter Church doesn’t hide it. He prefers to drive a four-man sled over a two-man sled. And the young American believes he can pull off a stunner to end these Beijing Olympics by getting into the medal hunt. By Tim Reynolds. SENT: 887 words, photos.
___
THE GAMES WE PLAY
OLY-FRE-MEN'S SKICROSS — Ryan Regez led a 1-2 finish by Switzerland in the Olympic skicross final on Friday at Genting Snow Park. Regez grabbed the lead early and never relinquished it along a course filled with bumps, jumps and rolling terrain. He raised his arms in triumph shortly after crossing the finish line. By Pat Graham. SENT: 440 words, photos.
OLY--SPD-SPEEDSKATING — Thomas Krol won gold in the 1,000 meters on Friday, giving the Netherlands its third straight Olympic speedskating title in the event. By Beth Harris. SENT: 150 words, photos. UPCOMING: 650 words by 7 a.m., photos.
OLY--FIG-PAIRS SHORT PROGRAM — The Russian figure skating team tries to continue its dominance when its pairs teams begin competition with the short program at the Beijing Games. By Dave Skretta. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. Competition starts 5:30 a.m.
OLY—BOB-WOMEN’S BOBSLED — U.S. pilots Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor will face tough competition from Germans and others Friday night when the women’s two-person bobsled event at the Beijing Games begins. By Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 650 words by 10 a.m., photos.
OLY--HKW-WOMEN'S HOCKEY FUTURE — The future of women’s hockey appears as disjointed as ever with Canadian and American national team players still seeking a savior to establish a pro league with what they call “an economically sustainable future.” And yet, at the same time, they’re still expressing indifference to thawing their relationship with North America’s one pro league, the Premier Hockey Federation. By Hockey Writer John Wawrow. UPCOMING: 800 words by 6 a.m., photos.
OLY-CUR-MEN'S BRONZE — Sixteen years after he won the Olympic curling gold medal, Brad Gushue is going back to Canada with bronze. The Canadians capitalized on a missed final shot by American John Shuster in the second-to-last end that turned a one-point edge into an insurmountable 8-5 lead. By Jimmy Golen. SENT: 208 words, photos.
OLY--BIA-BIATHLON — Johannes Thingnes Boe dominated from the start and held his composure through four shooting stages to win the Olympic gold medal in the biathlon mass start race. Justine Braisaz-Bouchet of France won the women’s race. By Martha Bellisle. SENT: 303 words, photos. UPCOMING: 500 words by 7 a.m., photos.
____
UP TO THE MINUTE
— OLYMPICS ROUNDUP — Highlights of the day from the 2022 Winter Games.
— BEIJING OLYMPICS-THE LATEST — Real-time updates and photos from every venue around the Winter Games.
— BEIJING OLYMPICS-WHAT TO WATCH — A guide to key storylines each day. Moves after 1 a.m.
— MEDAL BRIEFS — A roundup of the day’s gold medals.
____
FEATURED IMAGES
OLYMH133 — Finland’s Harri Pesonen scores an empty net goal against Slovakia during a men’s semifinal hockey game.
OLYDA336 — Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, reacts after competing in the women’s free skate program during the figure skating competition.
OLYKS210 — Sergey Ridzik, of the Russian Olympic Committee, leads the pack, followed by Canada’s Brady Leman and Sweden’s David Mobaerg, during the men’s cross finals.
OLYKS238 — Switzerland’s Ryan Regez celebrates after winning a gold medal in the men’s cross.
OLYKS180 — Gold medal winner China’s Eileen Gu celebrates during the venue award ceremony for the women’s halfpipe finals.
OLYYA114 — United States’ Matt Hamilton, left, and Christopher Plys celebrate after a good throw during the men’s curling bronze medal match between Canada and the United States.
____
GRAPHICS
Beijing Winter Olympics Medal Tracker
AP will be offering a daily medal roundup for the 2022 Beijing Olympics, showcasing the top 10 medal winners by country.
Beijing Winter Games Top 10 Medal Tracker 1C — A 1-column wide list of the most medals won, sorted by country, at the Beijing Olympic Games; ETA updated 10:30 a.m. Eastern time daily throughout the Olympics
Beijing Winter Games Top 10 Medal Tracker 2C — A 2-column wide list of the most medals won, sorted by country, at the Beijing Olympic Games; ETA updated 10:30 a.m. Eastern time daily throughout the Olympics
