Today at the Winter Olympics: Great Britain’s curlers bounce back

PA Wire

Great Britain’s women’s curlers ended Thursday on a high as they beat defending Olympic champions Sweden 8-2 to recover from an opening loss to Switzerland earlier in the day.

Eve Muirhead Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds and Hailey Duff took an early lead and never look threatened in the round-robin match.

It came after the men’s team – Bruce Mouat, Hammy McMillan, Bobby Lammie and Grant Hardie – recorded a 7-5 win over Italy.

Meanwhile, 15-year-old Kamila Valieva practised as usual amid a swirl of allegations concerning a doping offence that could cost the Russian Olympic Committee gold in the team figure skating competition and ignite a major controversy at these Games.

Here the PA news agency provides a quick guide to what happened on Thursday in Beijing – and prospects for tomorrow.

Star of the Day

Nathan Chen claimed Olympic gold to the sounds of ‘Rocket Man’ (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)

American Nathan Chen made up for his disappointment four years ago as he put on a dazzling five-quad show in the men’s free skate to take gold to the sounds of ‘Rocket Man’. The 22-year-old, who suffered a series of falls to blow his medal chances in Pyeongchang, was on song this time around as he built on his five-point advantage from Tuesday’s opening round to cruise to gold ahead of Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama.

Fail of the Day

There was disappointment for Matt Weston in the skeleton (Robert Michael/DPA) (PA Wire)

Britain’s hopes of a earning a skeleton medal in a sixth consecutive Games are in serious danger after a pair of poor performances in the opening two runs in Yanqing. Matt Weston and Marcus Wyatt sit 13th and 17th respectively, well over two seconds adrift of leader Christopher Grotheer from Germany, who holds a considerable 0.7 second advantage over compatriot Axel Jungk.

Picture of the Day

Canada’s Marion Thenault competes during the mixed team aerials finals (Francisco Seco/AP) (AP)

Social Media moment

What’s on tomorrow

Weston and Wyatt face an almost impossible task as they start the final two runs of the men’s skeleton competition well off the pace in Yanqing (0105 UK). Laura Deas and Brogan Crowley face the first two runs of the women’s event (0605). The men’s and women’s curling teams are back in action in the round-robin phase, while Andrew Musgrave, Andrew Young and James Clugnet go in the 15km classic cross-country (1205).