With that all sorted, time for me to say goodbye. Another fantastic night session - we’re been spoiled so far this week. To catch up on the day that was, take a look at the Daily Briefing and sign up for it to be emailed to you each afternoon of these Beijing Games. Bye!
Curling: Handy penultimate stone from ROC, putting them into two shots. But still, so much space for John Schuster. But instead, he drives hard and straight to knock both of those aforementioned shots away. Played. Sergei Glukhov buys some time to stop the clock but it’s far from the perfect stone, just clipping the edge of the four foot ring. So, over to Schuster with loads of space and he makes no mistake, right alongside the button it lands. USA, the defending champions, win their tournament opener 6-5 after an extra end.
Curling: Back to the first extra end between USA and ROC; the Americans have the hammer. They call their time out with three stones to play but plenty of space on the dancefloor.
Ice Hockey: At the start of the final period, Denmark lead the Czech Republic 2-1 in the opening match of men’s Pool B. If they can hold on, that’d be a big result for the world No12 knocking off the No6.
Curling: A bit going on with Norway and Switzerland too, with the Swiss presented with a chance to take their match to an extra end as well if they can collect a second shot with the final stone of regulation... but it is way off target: the Norwegians take it 7-4.
Curling: Fabulous work under pressure from both teams in this final end, really going punch for punch. There’s no more than a centimetre in this so the Russians have to land it on the button to get this to an extra end with their last stone of the night. And it isn’t to be! He runs it into the guard. So who has shot? It’s so close. If it’s the USA they win 6-4, if it’s ROC then we’re going again. It’s the ROC! We’re off to extra time in the curling. Meanwhile, next door, Sweden closed it out against China, winning by a margin of 6-4.
Curling: A brilliant response from Not Russia, curling past three stones with precision, popping them into shot. The pressure transfers back onto America with their final stone of regulation.
Curling: ROC have the hammer in this final end against the USA; they trail 5-4 with two stones left each. Brilliant draw shot from the American, knocking the Russian off the button. It’s also 5-4 in the Sweden/China clash but the leaders have the hammer there.
Curling: Canada have finished the job against Denmark on the first night of the men’s competition, winning 10-5. Some close finishes coming up in the other three matches - I’ll jump into them now.
USA 5 - ROC 4 (final end)
Norway 4 - Switzerland 4
Sweden 5 - China 4
And with that, the final medals have been decided on this fifth day.
Luge: They were hard held too, failing to get the perfect start, having to nail every turn there, but of course they did, securing gold by 99 thousandths of a second. And Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt, at age 34, have kept Germany to the top of the medal tally, this their fifth triumph of the Beijing games so far, and third in the sliding centre.
Gold again for Wendl and Arlt! They've done it again!
2014, 2018 and 2022 - what a magnificent achievement from the two Tobys, three gold medals in a row! Wow. It’s a quinella for Germany in the sliding centre, as it was in the women’s solo event yesterday.
Updated
Luge: Eggert and Benecken have done what is required of them but it is a slightly slower run than the last time around. Wendl and Arlt have about a tenth of a second to play with compared to their previous run. If they get it right, they’re triple Olympic champs again. Together since they were 13, here they go - one more time!
Luge: Here come the Austrians! Thomas Steu and Lorenz Koller are going to be on the podium - they’ve taken the lead! But now to the business end: the world champions next, the two-time Olympic gold medallists after that to finish. With 0.045 between them! Here are Eggert and Benecken at the top of the run - go, go go!
Luge: The Italians Rieder and Kainzwaldner are right in the hunt for a medal here, the fourth last pair to go down. But they’ve failed to nail the last couple of turns; the Latvian youngsters remain up top with three teams to come, including the German superstars to finish!
Luge: Five to go! The Latvian brothers Andris and Juris Sics have moved into first. But it’s a lead that hasn’t lasted, their younger countrymen Roberts Plume and Martins Bots have nipped ahead by 18 thousandths of a second! “Is that the baton being passed from one generation to the next in Latvian sliding?” asks the commentator.
Luge: Ten down, seven to go. It’s Russians Aleksandr Denisyev and Vladislav Antonov in the lead but, to put it in perspective, the German leaders could slide down a second slower than they did in their first runs - a proverbial age in this sport - and still be ahead.
Updated
Luge: Right, three of the 17 pairs have made their way down, going in reverse order of the times they banked in their first runs in this doubles competition. The drama will build until we spot the two German pairs to finish the event: the world champions in second - Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken - then the old boys in the lead looking to win this for a third time, Toby Arlt and Toby Wendl.
Updated
Curling: On the way back to the sliding centre for the final run in the doubles luge, a swing around the grounds for some updated scores:
Canada 5 - Denmark 4
ROC 3 - USA 2
Norway 3 - Switzerland 2
Sweden 3 - China 1
And in the men’s Ice Hockey, Denmark have an early goal on the board against the Czech Republic in their Pool B opener.
Speed skating: The standard post-race review takes place and it confirms that it’s Dubois not Elistravor over the line in second place. But there’s no doubt about Hwang Daeheon, who is a fine champion. He was booted out of the semi of the 1000m in most controversial circumstances but bounced back in the 1500m to top the world and earn Korea their first gold of the Games. For Team GB, Farrell Treacy who hung with the pack throughout before finishing in ninth place - a fine effort in a sport that doesn’t currently enjoy national funding.
Gold for Korea!
A daring move from Hwang Dae-heon to take the lead with a couple of laps to go then holding off Elistratov and Dubois. Whaddarace!
Updated
Speed skating: Confortola now Elistratov take turns leading the pack early - all eight skating in a close file, six laps to go. Treacy at the back of the pack. Janghyuk to the front then the Hungarians!
Speed skating: They’re away in the men’s 1500m final! A clean start. Watch for the Hungarian brothers - can Shaolin Sandor Liu get it done after losing gold in dramatic circumstances on Monday?
Speed skating: “It will be Piccadilly Circus in rush hour,” says BBC caller Simon Brotherton as the ten athletes are introduced to the ice. “For Farrell Treacy, this is the biggest race of his life.” Find a telly!
Speed skating: the start list for the men’s 1500m final, up shortly.
46 - Lee June-seo (KOR)
2 - Shaolin Sandor Liu (HUN)
1 - Shaoang Liu (HUN)
195 - Park Janghyuk (KOR)
52 - Hwang Daeheon (KOR)
3 - Semien Elistratov (ROC)
114 - Farrell Treacy (GBR)
15 - Adil Galiakhmetov (KAZ)
16 - Steven Dubois (CAN)
20 - Yuri Confortola (ITA)
Speed skating: Great second-semi in the women’s 3000m relay, Canada holding their nerve after leading most of the way and Korea snaffling the second qualification spot. The USA and ROC miss out.
Speed skating: A proud day for Farrell Treacy, reaching the ten-man final of the 1500m. Doubly impressive given he had Covid just a few weeks ago, which required ten days of isolation just when he was preparing for Beijing. At that point, it looked like he might have to pull out entirely but here he is, at the Olympics for the second time with a chance to do something special in 15 minutes from now.
Curling: around the grounds as we wait for more speed skating action, it’s the opening night of the men’s curling. Progress scores:
Canada 4 - Denmark 2
USA 1 - ROC 1
Norway 2 - Switzerland 2
Sweden 1 - China 0
Speed skating: The first of two semi-finals in the women’s 3000m relay, the Netherlands and China progressing to tomorrow’s final with Poland and Italy eliminated. Next up: Canada, Korea, Not Russia and the USA.
Luge: At the end of the first run in the doubles competition, it’s the two highly-fancied German pairs in gold and silver position. Wendl and Arlt, chasing their third victory in this event, were one of several teams to break the track record and take a breather some 0.045 seconds ahead of world champions Eggert and Benecken. The final runs will begin, in reverse order, just 40 minutes from now.
Figure skating: some drama elsewhere too, a positive doping result has led to the cancellation of the figure skating team event medal ceremony. Read all about it here, via Sean Ingle in Beijing.
The Winter Olympics medal ceremony for the figure skating team event was cancelled due to a Russian skater testing positive for a substance before the Games that was not performance enhancing, multiple sources have told the Guardian.
Speed skating: There will be ten racers on the ice for the 1500m final. That’s going to be total mayhem, about 30 minutes from now.
Speed skating: They’re away cleanly, Charles Hamelin (CAN) leading them out, Farrell Treacy (GBR) taking his turn before Adil Galiakhemetov (KAZ) and eventually Shaolang Liu (HUN) settle in at the front with four laps to go. Dual gold-medallist Ren Ziwei (CHN) has work to do with a lap to go but takes third with Park Janghyuk (KOR) getting the second automatic qualification spot behind winner Shaoang. And from all that? The TV referee has his clipboard out again. Treacy, who finished fifth, could be the beneficiary of the review here? He is! Ren Ziwei is rubbed out and Treacy is into third! Team GB will have a racer in the Olympic Final. Goodness me!
Updated
Speed skating: They are still going through the tape of second-semi two: has Sjinkie Knegt (NED), who finished third and could still yet qualify for the final, put in an illegal arm block? It’s a long wait - and yes, Knegt is rubbed out. Steven Dubois (CAN) is given the golden ticket to the final as the next man over the line. Love this sport. Team GB’s Farrell Treacy is coming up in the third and final race.
Updated
Speed skating: This second-semi is stacked. Semion Elistratov (ROC) makes his move early but Hwang Daeheong (KOR) takes the lead back with seven laps to go. Action everywhere; six of the seven racers remain in contention. That same pair are first and second as they take the bell - can they hold on? They do. Beautifully played.
Speed skating: Away in the first of three semis in the men’s 1500m short-track! And it’s clinical from Lee Juneseo (KOR) and Shaolin Sandor Lui (HUN). Oh wait, here comes the TV ref! He was the man who denied Shaolin gold in the 1000m after the fact... but no such intervention here; they have both booked their berth in the final.
Luge: Two Two Tobys, Wendl and Arl - the double-champions - now 34-years-old having been doing this together for over 20 years. And they’re away safely and quickly, ahead by a whisker at the first check point. Can they keep it up? They can! Another track record; they’re into the lead by 0.045 of a second ahead of Eggert and Benecken. A reminder that the doubles is two runs only with the second starting as soon as the first round is complete - a quick game is a good game.
Luge: And it’s brilliant from Eggert and Benecken (GER) at the first time of asking, breaking the track record in the second run of the entire competition. Wendl and Arlt are set to slide fifth. Game on.
Updated
Luge: As we wait for the semi-finals of the men’s 1500m, over to the sliding centre for the first of two runs in the doubles to determine the Olympic champions over the next couple of hours with Germans Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt going for three gold medals in a row. But they’ll have to see of fellow Germans Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken, who have been the in-form pair over the last two years.
Speed skating: Hanne Desmet (BEL), who made the final of the 500m, is through to the semis of the 1000m with fellow youngster Courtney Sarault of Canada. Some drama in the seventh heat with the TV referee called on again, which resulted in Alyson Charles (CAN) advancing for the second time this week after hitting the deck, joining Natalia Maliszewska (POL) and Ekaterina Efremonkova (ROC). To complete the heats, Kirsten Santos (USA) and Petra Jaszapati (HUN) through without concern. “All the big names are still there except Boutin,” the assessment of the TV expert.
Snowboarding: That Kim Boutin fall isn’t quite on the same scale as Lindsey Jacobellis in 2006, but what a story that has been today, finally claiming gold at age 36 in the Snowboard Cross. Sean Ingle details a tremendous tale of persistence and, at last, redemption.
This time there was no grab of the snowboard, no showboating for the cameras. Just the greatest redemption story in Winter Olympics history. For 16 years Lindsey Jacobellis has been known as the snowboarder who led the 2006 Olympic board cross final and then decided to take a premature celebratory grab. It was an act of reverse alchemy that caused her to stumble and slip and turned gold into silver. It is a mistake that has haunted her ever since.
Curling: Let’s get a quick look at the Norwegian strides between speed skating heats. Oh. Disappointing: trousers for their competition-opener against the Swiss are... navy blue. Play on.
Speed skating: Here comes Arianna Fontana (ITA) who won the 500m and has ten Olympic medals across her wonderful career. And she’s through - easily. What a glorious athlete. Kim Boutin’s turn, the Canadian craving a first gold medal after plenty of silver and bronze... BUT SHE FALLS OVER AT THE FINAL CORNER! She was in the lead by a couple of metres and, from nowhere, GONE. Gosh, she is, understandably, absolutely gutted sitting on the ice. Blimey.
Updated
Speed skating: The Olympic Record goes again! What a start to the women’s 1000m. It’s Suzanne Schulting (NED) this time, who won gold in this event at Pyeongchang and claimed silver in the 500m on Monday, lowering the mark.
Speed skating: I neglected to mention that before the business end of the men’s 1500m, we have the heats of the women’s 1000m. Team GB’s Kat Thomson is in the first group to go but doesn’t finish in the top two, so she’s out. Choi Minjeong though, the Korean who won two gold medals in her home Games four years ago, has burned up the track with an Olympic Record to start the competition!
Speed skating: 21 racers have qualified for the semi-finals of the men’s 1500m on the short-track, split into three heats of seven. They will be back for that shortly after they’ve cleaned up the ice.
Gold for Germany in the Nordic Combined Gundersen!
Vinzenz Geiger is an Olympic champion for the third time! He had 86 seconds to make up after the ski-jump but powered to the finish line to win the race and the gold by just under a second. Jørgen Graabak (NOR) wins silver and Lukas Greiderer (AUT) the bronze. “This was impressive a finish as we’ve seen,” the TV caller says of Geiger’s powerful surge after taking Graabak in the final stretch.
And with that, Germany jump to second on the overall medal tally.
Updated
Speed skating: Ren Ziwei, who already has two gold medals this week from the controversial 1000m and the 2000m mixed relay, leads them around in the sixth and final quarterfinal - nicely done. And a great result for Team GB with Farrell Tracey through in the third qualifying position, competing in his second Olympic Games.
Updated
Speed skating: Sjinkie Knegt (NED), who won silver in this event at Pyeongchang and has the world record to his name - and survived serious burns to his leg an awful fire at home in 2019 - is through safely after a less eventful fifth quarterfinal. A big chance later.
Speed skating: Showing all the experience of a three-time Olympic champion to stay out of trouble around a fall, Charles Hamelin (CAN) is into the semis with a pacy 2:11. There’s a review required after two skaters hit the deck but it doesn’t change the result with the first three over the line safely into the penultimate round.
Speed skating: Class from Korean superstar Hwang Daeheon in the third quarterfinal, taking the lead as the bell rang and cruising to victory over Semen Elistratov (ROC). The the former world champion also qualifies for the semi-final in an hour from now.
Speed skating: The TV referee has nine cameras to review to make their decisions, as is so often the case on the short-track. And the Italian Pietro Sighel has copped a penalty for an arm block in quarter final two, so he’s gone from second to eliminated - tough sport.
Nordic combined: A reminder that this is a 10km time trial on skis after the athletes completed their jumps yesterday. The first 11 (of 44) are away in the first of four groups to take to the circuit.
Updated
Speed skating: The first quarterfinal for the men’s 1500m and the Olympic Record has gone! A big statement from Shaolin Sandor Liu (HUN) who lost the gold in the 1000m on protest two days ago.
Updated
Cheers, Tom. What a top evening session we have ahead of us with three gold medals up for grabs between now and the close of play on this first Wednesday of these XXIV Olympic Winter Games.
It’s 7pm in the Beijing, which signals the start of the individual Gundersen. This is a brilliant event, combining ski-jumping and 10km of hard graft against the clock. Japan’s Ryota Yamamoto leads the way after his jumps with four German and Austrians within a minute, after distance is converted to seconds on the cross-country course. The silver medal winner from 2018, Akito Watabe, starts 76 seconds behind in 9th position – well within striking distance.
At the Capital Indoor Stadium, the bedlam of short-track speed skating returns with the men’s 1500m moving from the quarter-finals to the medal race over the next couple of hours. Defending champion Lim Hyo-jun is there again but under a different flag, moving from the South Korea team to the Chinese team. Dutchman Sjinkie Knegt, who was runner up in Pyeongchang and has since claimed the world record, is another we’ll have our eyes on.
Last night at the National Sliding Centre we saw a tremendous piece of Olympic history with Natalie Geisenberger victorious for the third Games in a row. In the doubles, which begins in just over an hour, her fellow Germans Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt have the chance to do the same and win this event three times on the trot. However, they’ll need to see off another German pair, Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken, who won bronze four years ago - they come into the competition leading the World Cup rankings in 2021.
Through the night we’ll also drop in and out of the curling, where the men’s round robin begins; Norway’s crazy pants (believe me, this is a thing) is likely to dominate the attention there. Meanwhile, at the National Indoor Stadium, Pool B of the men’s Ice Hockey kicks off with the Czech Republic up against the Denmark.
And after all that, we’ll go to bed very satisfied little Olympic-obsessives, right? Join me for the fun - drop me a note or a tweet.
Updated
Ice hockey: ROC beat Switzerland 1-0
Switzerland’s Hoffman is denied from point-blank range in the closing seconds and the Russian side and tournament favourites hold on for the win against a spirited Swiss side.
And on that bombshell, I’ll hand you over to Adam Collins, who’ll steer you through the rest of today’s action.
It’s pretty end-to-end in the ROC-Switzerland men’s ice hockey opener, as we enter the final seven minutes. The Russians still lead 1-0.
And here’s a story about the Australian skier Katie Parker, who got the all-clear to compete in the giant slalom at the last minute after overcoming Covid, but who crashed out after being unable to complete her first run.
A bit of testiness in the ice hockey as Andres Ambuhl and Mirco Muller of Switzerland, and ROC’s Pavel Karnaukhov and Dmitri Voronkov get sent to the sin-bin with four minutes of the second period remaining following what might generously be called a melee. It’s followed by a tete-a-tete between Slepysov and Weber after the former is shoved into the boards, but the Russian’s headbutt retaliation lands the CSKA Moscow man in the bin for five minutes. As for the actual play, the Russians still look the better team but the Swiss are not without a threat and with only one goal in it, who knows?
And the second period ends with the score remaining ROC 1-0 Switzerland.
Updated
Figure skating medal ceremony delayed: Where would Olympic sport be without lawyers, appeals and wrangling? The medal ceremony for the figure skating team event that was won by the Russian Olympic Committee has been delayed due to an unspecified “legal consultation”, the IOC has said.
“A situation arose at short notice that requires legal consultation,” IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said, without offering any further details at this stage. “You can bet your bottom dollar we are doing everything that this situation can be resolved as soon as possible. I cannot give you any more details but we will do our utmost.”
Here’s the story:
Here’s a quick summary of what’s still to come on day five. At 11am GMT we’ve got the men’s 1500m quarter-finals in the short track speed skating, followed by the semis at 12.29pm and the B and A finals at 1.13pm and 1.20pm. We’ll also have the women’s 10,000m heats (11.44am) and 3,000m relay semis (12.45m). The Nordic combined cross-country starts at 11am GMT and we’ve got the always-engrossing Luge Doubles with run 1 at 12.20pm GMT and run 2 at 1.35pm.
The second period is well under way out on the ice, with the ROC still a goal ahead and looking the more menacing in their Group B opener against Switzerland. Later on in the same group we’ve got the Czech Republic v Denmark, at 1.10pm GMT, 9.10pm Beijing time.
Thanks Gregg. We are indeed under way in the men’s ice hockey tournament, and gold-medal favourites the Russian Olympic Committee have just taken the lead through Anton Slepyshev in the dying seconds of a fairly cagey opening period against Switzerland.
And we’ve got the men’s Nordic combined going on. After the ski jump Japan’s Yamamoto Ryota leads after scoring 133 points following a jump of 108 metres. He is 38 seconds ahead of Austria’s Lukas Greiderer.
Updated
Right, Tom Davies is here now to take the blog on for a couple of hours. The ice hockey is under way between the Russian Olympic Committee and Switzerland. He’ll keep you updated on that and more. Thanks.
Of course, these Games have been about much more than just sport. It appears another row is brewing over cultural appropriation, after a woman appeared at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics wearing traditional Korean dress, known as hanbok. Her appearance sparked anger among many South Koreans, who denounced it as another attempt by China to claim parts of Korean culture – including its national dish, kimchi – as its own. The Chinese embassy in Seoul defended the decision, describing the participant dressed in hanbok as a representative of the country’s dozens of ethnic groups.
Day five recap
Morning all. Gregg here. I’m just bridging a blog gap for a little while so why don’t we have a look at what has gone on this morning in a little recap.
- Mikaela Shiffrin’s disastrous Olympics continued as she failed to make it past even four gates in the women’s slalom and tumbled out in similar fashion to her horror-show in the giant slalom. Petra Vlhova went on to win gold.
- There was a gold for Norway’s Birk Ruud in the men’s freestyle skiing big air. He pulled off his final trick while holding a Norway flag, the big show-off!
- GB’s hopes of winning a third gold medal on snow were dashed as favourite Charlotte Bankes was eliminated at the quarter-final stage of the women’s snowboard-cross in Beijing.
- The men’s American snowboard legend Shaun White, who will retire after these Games, qualified for the final on his second run by pulling off a frontside 1260 to finish fourth. If he nails his tricks in the final he may get a medal to add to the three golds he has won at multiple Olympics.
- Lindsey Jacobellis earned redemption for her 2006 blunder when she won the first gold medal for the United States at Beijing 2022 when she took snowboard cross gold.
Updated
On that glorious note I will hand you over to Gregg Bakowski who will take you through the next session of action. Bye for now.
Updated
And Jacobellis, well ...
REDEMPTION.
— Olympics (@Olympics) February 9, 2022
16 years after a late fall at Turin 2006 denied her the gold medal, Lindsey Jacobellis is a #snowboard cross Olympic champion. #Beijing2022 pic.twitter.com/WxMVplVcsh
I didn’t want to post this, but I also kind of did. This is what happened in Turin 2006. She was 20 then. Now she is 36.
Updated
Here’s what Brockhoff had to say after narrowly missing out on a medal in the snowboard cross at her third Olympics:
“I thought I’d be okay. I thought I wasn’t going to cry, but I’m definitely crying. I had a really bad training day yesterday. I had a shit time trial, I was having a bit of a breakdown but there’s a lot of fight in me. I went from 18th position to the big final. I gave it my all and that’s what I wanted to do. All I can say is ‘oh well’, rather than ‘what if?’.”
She said she her stuttered start hadn’t been helped by her position on one of the left-sided gates.
ICYMI earlier, Mikaela Shiffrin’s second straight disqualification from the women’s slalom was pretty devastating. The shock result came two days after the American skied out during her first run of the giant slalom, which ended her Olympic title defense only seconds into her Beijing debut.
The standings:
Gold: Jacobellis
Silver: Trespeuch
Bronze: O’Dine
Really tough moment for Brockhoff, who is in tears as she is interviewed afterwards and is struggling to get words out.
The American is beside herself, and so she should be.
In 2006 she fell just behind the finish line. Back then she was in front and attempted a celebratory move which wildly backfired and which she had surely had some not-very-nice dreams about since.
This time around she plays it safe, lands the final jump and breaks into a wide grin as she crosses.
Jacobellis wins women's snowboard cross gold
They are at the gates and now they’re down and off they go. Brockhoff has made a mistake early and she’s playing catch-up from the back. Jacobellis is in the lead. She wants this. She’s wanted it for 16 years.
Trespeuch is in second and O’Dine third. Will this order remain? It does! Holy bananas. This is genuine history – personal history at least – for Jacobellis, who has finally won a gold.
Pereira de Sousa has fashioned herself a bittersweet ending by winning the small final ahead of Critchlow, Gaskill and Moioli, the defending champion who has fallen minutes before her 2018 title is usurped by another of the women below. Moioli has a bloody face but she is waving that she is OK.
Snowboard cross finalists:
Meryeta O’Dine
Lindsey Jacobellis
Chloé Trespeuch
Belle Brockhoff
Brockhoff starts fast and she’s delaying a little but a couple of hundred metres on and she’s positioned nicely in second behind Odine.
Pereira de Sousa falls after catching Brockhoff’s board but it doesn’t stop the Australian. Critchlow might though, and she’s sneaking up on her coming into the final jump and almost catches her only to cross in third behind Odine and Brockhoff.
But wait, the results are showing Critchlow finished second and Brockhoff third, which surely can’t be right unless my prescription needs updating? A few confusing seconds pass as the Canadians celebrate with each other, before the results are promptly corrected and Critchlow’s campaign ends.
Pereira de Sousa, meanwhile, had obviously gotten herself up and crossed the finish well after the rest and, in a lovely show of camaraderie, gets hugs from all her rivals.
Final here we come!
Updated
Semis time! There’s nothing between the top three in the start section but Jacobellis is soon out in front. Her line is on point and at no point did she look in doubt to take this one out. Trespeuch will also go for gold in the final but defending champion Moioli won’t be there. She spent part of this semi in second but fell away.
Well they saved the best for last in terms of smarts and contest and drama because Australia’s Belle Brockhoff was last coming into the last 30 seconds. Dead last. And then from nowhere she surges, cool as, straight through the middle to overtake Charlotte Bankes at the death.
That is Britain’s world champion eliminated. Massive shock that is. Gulini is also gone, and let’s not forget Tess Critchlow who will represent Canada in the semi-finals.
Updated
Caterina Carpano, the Italian who does not ever take herself up the mountain without a thermos of warm tea. She has clearly did not have her tea quite hot enough today as she loses the front two pretty quickly. A good effort to catch them goes unrewarded so she exits.
Meanwhile, Canadian Meryeta O’Dine is melting the snow beneath her board because she is on FIRE. A comfortable first place is followed with a “yeah giiirl”.
The 2018 silver medallist Julia Pereira de Sousa Mabileau is through in second.
Meghan Tierney, the fourth American to qualify for the quarter-finals, has gone out after a blip on the first jump that probably cost her. Italian Michela Moioli and Chloé Trespeuch of France progress.
Those initial jumps are so ... jerky. Difficult to regain a centre of gravity and absolutely no time to prepare for the next. I mean, I imagine this is the case.
A superb ride from Jacobellis in the second quarter has her through well in front of her opposition, even compatriot Gaskill, who ripped some cool moves.
It’s good news for Bankes. More accurately, Bankes has created the good news by qualifying first in her final, relegating Brockhoff to second. Both qualify for the quarters which, as it happens are starting right now! Not a moment to spare here (or there, given I am on a couch in Sydney).
Updated
There are four Americans already through to the quarters and three have qualified first in their respective finals in Gulini, Stacey Gaskill and Lindsey Jacobellis. Wouldn’t it be something if Jacobellis pulled off the gold 16 years after her 2006 wipeout with a superfluous trick in the last jump. She basically has everything in her cabinet except an Olympic gold medal.
Here’s a trip down memory lane from one our Beijing correspondents, Bryan Armen Graham, while he was in Pyeongchang covering the 2018 Games.
Gulini does it, qualifying first while Canadian Tess Critchlow is through as the second qualifier.
Czech competitor Vendula Hopjáková fell and is being tended to. She looks in a spot of bother, and no surprise given how many brutal injuries are sustained in this sport. She is moving OK now.
As the slalom continues down through the rest of the field I’ve switched over to the women’s snowboard cross 1/8 finals. For the Brits out there who are just waking up, Charlotte Bankes is coming up in final 8. Australia’s Belle Brockhoff is in the same final (we’re in final 7 at the minute – Team USA’s Faye Gulini is the favourite). Brockhoff’s fellow Aussie Josie Baff has taken a fall and won’t progress to the quarter-finals.
Updated
Petra Vlhova wins women's slalom gold
Thanks Beau and good day to you. Let’s head over to the women’s slalom, where world champion Petra Vlhova is in the gold medal position and is guaranteed to win Slovakia’s first alpine medal at a Winter Olympics.
Sara Hector of Sweden, the gold medalist in Monday’s giant slalom, was nailing the second run and seemed as if she might take Vlhova’s lead but then skied off course.
Somehow, somehow(!), Vlhova has found another eight tenths of a second in her second run which is enough to secure the gold. Silver goes to Katharina Liensberger of Austria and Wendy Holdener of Switzerland.
The last rider is the USA’s Chase Josey. With a 60.50, he’ll bump former US rider Louis Vito out of the last spot and put three Americans in the final 12.
It looks good. It looks very good.
And it’s just good enough. 69.50. Twelfth.
That’s going to be all for me today. Over to Emma Kemp. Thanks for following along with me on a dramatic day at the Games.
Shaun White qualifies on second run
A score over 73 would get the three-time champion into the final. A 60 might be enough. Once upon a time, that was no problem at all. This time?
Yes!
He’s had bigger runs in his life, of course. But a frontside 1260 is impressive enough. Quite impressive, say the judges. That’s an 86.25, good for fourth.
Team GB’s Charlie Guest is swatting her way through slalom gates as if perturbed, but she loses most of her momentum on a turn two-thirds of the way down and has to turn nearly 90 degrees to make the next gate. She’s down to eighth, with no shot at the top 10.
Back to snowboard -- funny how the Olympic schedule got so busy all of a sudden.
Taylor Gold has indeed clinched qualification before arriving at the top of the pipe. Will he go big or take it easy? Maybe somewhere in between. He showcased the beauty of the chicken wing grab, according to our international-feed commentators, and he did indeed improve by a couple of points to 83.50. Sixth place. Off to the final with you ...
Let’s peek in on the women’s slalom, which our Canadian readers will appreciate, because Erin Mielzynski and Laurence St-Germain are second and third. That won’t last, given the 16 outstanding skiers with time advantages to come, but it’s a good start.
Team GB’s Charlie Guest is next up.
You get the sense that these competitors are trying too hard to crack the top 12. Louis Vito is the latest to try a massive trick and miss the landing, and he’ll have a nervous wait as he sits 11th. Germany’s Andre Hoeflich is a little more comfortable in ninth.
Can Ireland’s Seamus O’Connor bump up from 13th? Nope. He doesn’t crash, but he bails out on the run after flailing in the air. He gives shoutouts to San Diego, Ireland and Park City.
Eight riders to go, including Taylor Gold, who may be mathematically certain of qualification by the time he comes up.
Another American will miss out on a halfpipe final. Lucas Foster landed hard on the lip of the pipe, right in the center of the board between his feet. It’s amazing his board is still in one piece.
Reminder: Only one US woman qualified for the women’s halfpipe final. The men may be in the same situation. The days of snowboard sweeps are long gone.
Is the figure skating team event really over? Apparently not. Due to “legal consultation,” the medal ceremony has been postponed.
The medals went to Not Russia, the USA and Japan.
The CBC is wondering if Canada could move onto the podium. Might the USA finally get a gold medal in Beijing?
News: Olympic figure skating team medals were not given out last night. Issue could involve the Russians, I have been told. Asked IOC spokesman Mark Adams, who said: “I think details coming shortly.”
— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) February 9, 2022
Slovenian Tit Stante went a long way up. Unfortunately, that’s also a long way down, and he landed badly. It’s a sad ride down to the bottom.
Japan’s Kaishu Hirano also dares to touch the heavens, and he keeps it going. He puts a hand down on a landing later in the run, and that’s enough to keep him out of the 80s. But he improves slightly to 77.25. At eighth place, he’ll be a little nervous but is more likely in than out.
Two Australians in the final! Almost certainly. Valentino Guseli shook off his first-run frustration with high amplitude and smooth landings. The 1260 at the end clinches a score of 85.75, currently fourth.
Before Guseli’s run, Korean teenager Lee Chaeun looked like he was bound for the final until crashing at the very end of the run. He got up with a resigned smile.
The second women’s slalom run is coming up. In this format, the top 30 skiers from the first run are inverted from 30th to 1st, so the last skiers know what they need to do to make the podium. Times are cumulative, of course. I’ll keep an eye on it, but the leaders likely won’t go until this halfpipe qualification is done.
Switzerland’s Jan Scherrer had what seemed to be a middling run last time, but that may have been because he had the misfortune of following James. This time, he lands a 79.25, which is probably enough. Probably. A lot of riders are capable of changing their 15.75s to 85.75s.
Gao Hongbo, who had the strange 15.00 run with no rotations in the first run, passed up his second run. Gu Ao comes up next instead and improves from 50.25 to 58.20. He’s 11th, and that’s not a comfortable place to be.
“Last week, messed around and got a triple-double,” Ice Cube said in the cleaner version of It Was A Good Day.
Ayuma Hirano just messed around and got a 93.25.
It seems the Japanese riders didn’t really care that their qualification is all but assured. Ruka Hirano laid down a run of 87.00.
What will Scotty James do in response? Plenty. It’s the same run through the first three hits, but the last is a promotion from a 1260 to 1440. He playfully rides up to the lip of the pipe and plants himself there at the finish. That’s a 91.25. See you in the final.
Men’s halfpipe qualifying standings after the first run of two (top score counts):
1. Scotty James (AUS) 88.25
2. Ayumu Hirano (JPN) 87.25
3. Yuto Totsuka (JPN) 84.50
4. Taylor Gold (USA) 81.25
5. Ruka Hirano (JPN) 80.75
Those are the five who are probably safe. After that, the scores drop so sharply that Ireland’s Seamus O’Connor is 11th with a 57.00 and China’s Gu Ao sits on the bubble at 50.25.
So while only one American is in the top 12 right now, it won’t take much to shake things up.
Those of us of a certain age remember when Shaun White was a prodigy in 2006. Now he has a resume too long to list, and age 35, he has worked his way back to the top level while being sporadically active. The first 80% of his run is vintage White. The next landing is not. He’s underrotated, and he can’t stay upright. He’ll need to make good on his second run.
Shaun White fell on a double McTwist, landing low on the wall late in the run. Needs his second run to get into the final,
— Rachel Axon (@RachelAxon) February 9, 2022
The USA’s Taylor Gold just went big -- at least in parts of his run. He loses momentum midway through but finishes strong and stays clean, good for an 81.25 and fourth place. That’ll likely assure his qualification.
China’s Wang Ziyang crashes, and that brings up the three-time gold medalist, Shaun White ...
Mikaela Shiffrin spoke with reporters at length after her shocking exit in the slalom. The emotion of suddenly losing her father is still with her, especially in a situation like this, with two quick departures in these Olympics.
But while the comparisons to Simone Biles are inevitable, Shiffrin insists she will compete in the rest of the races on the Alpine program.
Canadian teen Liam Gill has a small crash. Like everyone else so far, he’s unhurt. That must be a relief to anyone who has seen him break his collarbone twice in his mid-teens.
The USA’s Lucas Foster has a great run most of the way down. He has one bad landing but stays up. That one bad landing knocks him down to a 42.00. This isn’t figure skating, where a skater can medal even with a fall.
Next: Louis Vito, who was fifth in the 2010 Olympics competing for the USA. He now competes for Italy. At age 33, he’s still got it, getting some amplitude up around 22 feet on a run that opens with a double cork 1260. Judges? 60.25.
And now another US resident competing elsewhere -- Ireland’s Seamus O’Connor. He’s just 24 but is in his first Olympics. He alternates small tricks with big ones and, like Vito, gets about 22 feet above the lip of the pipe. That’s good for a 57.
This is, of course, what you all want to know. When can we see curling again?
Soon enough. You can either stay up another seven hours or go to sleep now and set an alarm.
Curling heats 🔥 back up tomorrow morning.
— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) February 9, 2022
🇨🇦 Team Gushue vs Denmark. Game time at:
4am PT
5am MT
6am CT
7am ET
8am AT
And 8:30am in Newfoundland and Labrador. @cbchh will be setting up the game on @CBCNews Network 30 minutes before first rocks. #cbccurl
Australia’s Valentino Guseli is just 16, younger than most of the music being played at the venue (current: Jimi Hendrix). He lets loose an audible exclamation after landing hard on the lip of the pipe, but he brilliantly salvages the rest of the run. His score of 31.75 seems harsh. If you can land a double cork 1080 and a 1260 after a hard landing, shouldn’t that impress the judges?
No one asked me, of course.
We’ve seen a couple of crashes and mistakes since that opening quartet Hirano, Hirano, Totsuka and James delivered such astounding runs.
The next Hirano, Kaishu, returns the competition to elite level with high amplitude and controlled rotations. Not quite the variety of grabs and moves to challenge the leaders, but that’s considerably better.
A curious effort here from China’s Gao Hongbo, who tries no rotational tricks at all on his way down. It’s rare to get a 15.00 without falling, but Gao can now add that dubious accomplishment to his resume.
Gu Ao gives a better representation of Chinese snowboarding with a couple of double cork 1080s. It’s only a 50.25, but at least it resembles world-class halfpipe action.
Scotty James, one of the top Australian winter athletes by any measure, is a three-time world champion and the 2018 bronze medalist.
And my goodness -- save something for the final, won’t you? James just ramped up the difficulty all the way down the halfpipe, ending with two double cork 1260s.
The PA blares some AC/DC as James moves into first with an 88.25 and says hello to various relatives and friends via the camera at the finish.
This is just the first run of qualification? Exceptional stuff here by all four riders so far.
Ayumu Hirano is the two-time defending silver medalist, if it makes sense to “defend” a silver medal. He’s also first in this year’s World Cup standings. He also competed in skateboarding in the Olympics in his home country last summer.
He’s good, in other words.
And he certainly showed it here. Double cork 1080, double cork 1080, 900, 900, 1260, and dizzying heights. (“Amplitude” is the more apt word.)
That’s an 87.25. He won’t have any trouble qualifying.
(Same format as the women -- two runs, best score counts, top 12 advance to final.)
Notable names in the men’s halfpipe qualification start list ...
1-3 Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, Ruka Hirano and Yuto Tosuka
4 Scotty James (AUS)
9 Valentino Guseli (AUS)
11 Kaishu Hirano (JPN)
12 Liam Gill (JPN)
14 Lucas Foster (USA)
17 Seamus O’Connor (IRL)
20 Taylor Gold (USA)
23 Shaun White (USA)
25 Chase Josey (USA)
Ayuma and Kaishu are brothers. Ruka is not.
At this hour ...
It’s just a slow day for some reason. The only action right now is in snowboardcross, where half the field is going down the course to see how bad their seeds will be for the knockout rounds.
But we have men’s halfpipe qualification coming up in 10 minutes. That’ll have the stage to itself for 1 1/4 hours until the women’s slalom has its second run with its two stars either out (Shiffrin) or far back (Vlhova).
Over to snowboardcross now, where Team GB’s Charlotte Bankes has set the second-fastest time in qualifying. All four Americans -- Stacy Gaskill (fourth), Lindsey Jacobellis (fifth), Faye Gulini (seventh) and Meghan Tierney (16th) -- broke into the top 16 and can sit out the second run.
Gold! Norway's Birk Ruud, men's freestyle skiing big air
And silver to the USA’s Colby Stevenson.
The ebullient veteran Henrik Harlaut of Sweden nearly bumped ahead of Stevenson. But he seems quite content to share the podium, exulting after seeing his score of 91.00 posted.
Ruud is taking his final run with a Norwegian flag in his hand. And he still lands it. Legend.
And no! Donaggio can’t stick the landing, and Colby Stevenson will finish no worse than third. It’ll get scant attention compared with Shiffrin’s disaster and may even be overshadowed by the “US snowboarders other than Chloe Kim can’t qualify” story, but it’s something for US fans to celebrate in a week that hasn’t been what they’ve hoped.
Can Colby Stevenson get a medal? It’s looking more likely. Sweden’s Oliwer Magnusson has a nice-looking tail grab and gets a 90.75, good but not enough to pass the American.
Norway’s Birk Ruud has clinched a medal and will almost certainly take gold. The next two to go, Italy’s Leonardo Donaggio and Sweden’s Henrik Harlaut, will need to go well over 90 to beat Stevenson ...
Alex Hall is up, up, away ... and he just never looked like he was in control. He went off-axis and never returned to on-axis. We’re told it was an attempt at a 2160, which is six full rotations.
Four to go.
The last run of the big air competition goes in reverse order of the current standings.
The third man to go, Spain’s Javier Lliso, won’t medal, but he has a happy moment with friends and family back home via the screen setup at the finish.
Next up: the USA’s Colby Stevenson. That looked impressive. Might that get him in contention?
How does anyone judge this sport? In the women’s event, Gu and Ledeux were obviously better than the rest. Here? They’re all landing 1620s and 1800s.
But this 1800 is indeed enough to get Stevenson into contention. It’s a 91.25. His best two add up to a 183.00, second to Birk Ruud.
Another question: How do these guys not get hurt? Well, they do, on occasion, but the angle of the landing slope and their helmets must be pretty good if people like Norway’s Christian Nummedal can just walk away from faceplants like that.
Canada’s Evan McEachran also can’t stick the landing.
Six skiers to go. We might see a US medal here.
The women’s slalom first run is still going, but we’re very much into the “participation trophy” phase of the competition. Next up is Iran’s Atefeh Ahmadi, and while it’s tempting to be snarky about the snail’s pace she’s setting on her way to finishing nearly 20 seconds behind the leader, it’s impossible not to applaud the effort.
Besides, she has 30,300 followers on Instagram.
Big air standings
Two runs down, one to go. Top two runs count.
187.75 Birk Ruud (NOR)
176.00 Henrik Harlaut (SWE)
172.00 Leonardo Donaggio (ITA)
166.50 Oliwer Magnusson (SWE)
160.75 Alex Hall (USA)
It’s still wide-open, at least for silver and bronze. Any of the top 10 have a mathematical chance at the podium.
Catching Rudd? Good luck with that.
Alex Hall has just landed a big air trick that most mortals cannot, especially given the fact that they are, indeed, mortals. He skis down the ramp without poles, which lets him grab one ski with both hands like a pole dancer. (In keeping with the American slump, my metaphors are getting worse.)
Hall lands perfectly and smiles as he gets a 92.50.
Let’s revisit Jessie Diggins’ bronze ...
"This has been because of so many generations of strong women and men helping us get here and creating opportunities and supporting us and believing in us."
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 9, 2022
Jessie Diggins is filled with emotion after her historic Olympic bronze medal in cross-country skiing. #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/FsnOGaofvs
Maybe it’s because I live in an English-speaking country that isn’t Canada, or maybe it’s an idiosyncrasy of the schedule that has little action going on at the moment, but it just feels like everything has deflated this evening.
Norway’s Christian Nummedal might disagree, having just attempted the same jump he tried in the first run but doing it much, much better. He gets a 93.00. He’ll need another good one, of course, to contend.
And finally, for the first time since Chloe Kim’s first run (which, by her standards, was rather pedestrian), an American favorite does something special. Colby Stevenson gets a 91.75 on his second effort in big air.
How do people land backwards? Intentionally? That boggles my mind.
Canada’s Evan McEachran just flew too close to the sun, going for an 1800 (five rotations) with a double grab. Can’t stick the landing. But his 93.00 in the first run will leave him in contention if he cleanly lands on his third attempt.
The first run of men’s big air is complete, and it’s ... Scandinavian. The last skier to go was Norway’s Birk Ruud, who takes the lead with a 95.75. Second is Canadian Evan McEachran, then Italy’s Leonardo Donaggio, then three Swedish skiers.
At seventh, Alex Hall is the highest placed of the three Americans.
Three runs, top two count.
At this hour ...
The women’s halfpipe qualifiers include three Chinese riders (Cai Xuetong, Liu Jiayu, Qiu Leng), three Japanese riders (Mitsuki Ono, Sena Tomita, Ruki Tomita) and two Canadians (Elizabeth Hosking, Brooke Dhondt). The rest are from Spain (the ageless Queralt Castellet), Switzerland (Berenice Wicki), Germany (Leilani Ettel) and the USA (Chloe Kim).
In women’s slalom, the Vlhova-Shiffrin showdown has melted away. Shiffrin is out, and Vlhova is eighth. American Paula Moltzan is a surprising sixth. Germany’s Lena Duerr, the first skier on the course, still leads. Next up: Michelle Gisin (SUI) and Sara Hector (SWE).
The snowboardcross seeding run is underway, but with more than an hour to go until men’s halfpipe qualifiers and 2 1/2 hours until the second run in the slalom, the event to watch is the men’s freestyle skiing big air. So let’s go to the Power Station, a name I fully intend to popularize, and watch ..
Bryan Armen Graham has the story on Mikaela Shiffrin’s exit.
Continuing with halfpipe qualification ...
Tessa Maud (USA) is out, falling on the first hit of her run.
Emily Arthur (AUS) is out, losing control in the air.
Canada’s Elizabeth Hosking is in, which bumps out Maddie Mastro (USA).
Zoe Kalapos (USA) is out.
At this point, you couldn’t blame NBC if they just cut to reruns of Jessie Diggins and Ryan Cochran-Siegle.
Changes in the standings in the second run in women’s halfpipe with a few athletes yet to go ...
Liu Jiayu recovered from her first-run fall to post a 72.25. She has qualified for the final.
Maddie Mastro is hanging on to 12th with five riders left, including Emily Arthur, Tessa Maud and Zoe Kalapos.
Could Chloe Kim end up as the only American in the halfpipe final?
Twitter is really, really angry with NBC right now for its Shiffrin coverage, particularly given the focus on mental health that came with Simone Biles’ story last summer.
Let’s hop back to the halfpipe ...
How unlikely was Shiffrin’s back-to-back flameout?
Slalom is inherently an event of risk and reward. But the risk rarely catches up with Shiffrin.
To wit ...
In 210 World Cup starts, Mikaela Shiffrin has failed to finish in consecutive races just twice -- once in 2011, when she was 15, and once in 2018. She has started two races at the Beijing Olympics, and hasn't completed the first run of either. Just stunning and heartbreaking.
— Barry Svrluga (@barrysvrluga) February 9, 2022
That’s the cruelty of the Olympics. Shiffrin is on pace to win her fourth overall World Cup championship. She has six world championships. She may break the World Cup wins record by the time her career is done.
But in the Games, it’s one slip, and you’re out.
As if to illustrate the point, Chloe Kim crashed in her second halfpipe run. It won’t affect her qualifying prospects, but it’s a reminder that mistakes can happen to anyone, any time. Snowboarders, at least, get more than one chance.
It’s worse when your sport doesn’t get any attention outside the Olympics. Consider Lindsey Jacobellis. She’s a five-time world champion in snowboardcross. She won the X Games 10 times, and then they cut her event. But to casual observers, she’s the person who was about to win gold in 2006 but did a hot-dogging grab on the last jump, leaving her to scramble for silver.
She’s still competing and will go later today/tonight.
MIKAELA SHIFFRIN IS OUT!
Didn’t even make four gates. Her Olympics good hardly be going any worse.
Quickly back to halfpipe to run through the first run results. Again -- best of two runs counts, top 12 make the final ...
1. Chloe Kim (USA) 87.75
2. Cai Xuetong (CHN) 83.25
3. Mitsuki Ono (JPN) 79.50
4. Queralt Castellet (ESP) 78.75
--
8. Brooke Dhondt (CAN) 69.25
10. Maddie Mastro (USA) 65.75
12. Emily Arthur (AUS) 62.50
Americans Tessa Maud and Zoe Kalapos will need to improve to make it through.
Here goes Vlhova, and though she seems aggressive, she’s far off the pace of the first skier down the hill, Germany’s Lena Duerr.
That’s a shocker. It’s one thing for an elite skier to miss a gate in the complicated calculus of risk and reward. It’s another to just be slower.
Back to the halfpipe briefly to catch up with Australia’s Emily Arthur, who has a solid but unspectacular run to land right on the bubble in 12th place. That’s two ahead of the USA’s Tessa Maud.
The last American, Zoe Kalapos, gets virtually no height on her first few hits and then badly bungles an effort to go big.
FIVE MINUTES UNTIL THE SLALOM and the showdown between Mikaela Shiffrin and Petra Vlhova. We won’t have to wait long -- Vlhova is up second, Shiffrin seventh. One interesting note from the international broadcasters -- each of their coaches set part of the course today.
The second run is at 12:45 am ET, so get your caffeine now.
But I just have this feeling that we’re going to see some mistakes and upsets.
This is one of those events that goes for inclusion, so we’ll have 88 skiers.
Jenise Spiteri is the only athlete from Malta in these Olympics. She is, as you might expect, originally American, having grown up as an actor and model in California. Another fun item from her bio -- she lives in a van she and her dad converted into a tiny home.
She also puts a lot of effort into YouTube videos.
Her first run was a 7.25, which we’ll assume means she crashed. We assume because it happened during a commercial break or a feature of some kind.
Ten riders have gone. For those of you whose national language is the one in which you’re reading this, the athletes of interest in the start order are:
17. Brooke Dhondt (CAN)
18. Tessa Maud (USA)
19. Emily Arthur (AUS)
20. Elizabeth Hosking (CAN)
21. Zoe Kalapos (USA)
Another of the American contingent, Maddie Mastro, has two world championship medals and is the first woman to land a double crippler 900 in competition, which involves being head-down at some point. But this is a lackluster run full of far simpler tricks than Kim and Castellet, and she also puts a hand down on a landing.
It’s a mixed bag for the Chinese contingent so far. Cai Xuetong stands second behind Kim, but Wu Shaotong joined Liu in crashing hard. Fortunately, neither athlete appears injured.
Chloe Kim opens by making a 12-foot-11 parabola out of the halfpipe and a 900 look like riding a tricycle. That’s an 87.75, which will probably get her through to the final already. Smile, wave, have a nice day.
(That said, Spain’s Queralt Castellet opens her fifth Olympics with some dazzling spins, including a 900 and an upward flight of more than 20 feet. Somehow, that’s only 78.75.)
Updated
And away we go ...
Halfpipe qualification in a nutshell: Two runs, best one counts, top 12 go to final.
We start with a crash by China’s Liu Jiayu, the 2018 silver medalist.
Next up, the gold medalist from four years ago, the USA’s Chloe Kim ...
And ... my feed just froze.
Updated
Meanwhile, outside the bubble ...
Baby girl Nordgren was born yesterday to @leifcnordgren and his wife @CaitlinMyNBC5. Mom and baby are happy and healthy.
— US Biathlon (@USBiathlon) February 8, 2022
Welcome to the Olympic world, Astrid Lynae!! 🇺🇸❤️ pic.twitter.com/hAbEmLma8b
At this hour ...
There’s nothing going on. It’s the break between mixed doubles and unmixed quadruples curling, so the schedulers in Beijing have nothing to offer at 9 am their time.
But in 30 minutes, we’ll have the women’s halfpipe (snowboard, not ski) qualification rounds. In another 45 minutes, we’ll have the first run of the women’s slalom (ski, not snowboard). Then we’re back to Big Air Shougang, the post-industrial big air venue we should really start calling the Power Station.
OK, let’s take a calming breath.
Phew. Feel better?
The purpose of that mini-meditation is to cleanse your thoughts of the 300 thinkpieces you’ve read today about Eileen Gu, a majestic freestyle skiing star who may win multiple golds in Beijing and is somehow simultaneously, according to the punditocracy, both a brilliant and savvy young woman who has parlayed her multicultural heritage into a dual-country financial and athletic empire AND an unwitting, naive tool of the Chinese government, the IOC and the judges who ranked her ahead of the unfortunate Tess Ledeux.
Granted, the latter is my fault. And Sean Ingle has written well about Gu’s adeptness at the first of the portrayals I’ve listed here.
But let’s take a moment to consider two underreported stories from yesterday ...
First, Jessie Diggins is a badass. She and Kikkan Randall won gold in the 2018 Olympic team sprint while NBC’s Chad Salmela memorably yelled “HERE COMES DIGGINS! HERE COMES DIGGINS!” Yesterday, she became the first US woman to win a cross-country individual medal.
What a FINAL! 🥉
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 8, 2022
Jessie Diggins wins the first-ever sprint medal in cross-country skiing for @TeamUSA at the Olympic Games! Rosie Brennan finishes in fourth!#WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/3aRHhGK7F0
And most of all, let’s all marvel at how Nathan Chen set a world record in the figure skating short program while being harassed by a cat.
This cat likes Nathan Chen’s short program. pic.twitter.com/U2DUr8Bhuu
— Beau Dure (@duresport) February 9, 2022
Coming up today
Times are all in local Beijing time. For Melbourne it is +3 hours, for London it is -8 hours, for New York it is -13 hours and Los Angeles is -16 hours.
- 9.30am – 3.45pm Snowboard – there is a lot of action on Wednesday, including women’s and men’s halfpipe qualification. The women’s cross final is the session finale 🥇
- 10.15am and 1.45pm – the women’s slalom is contested over two runs 🥇
- 11am Freestyle skiing – it is the freeski big air day for men 🥇
- 3pm, 4pm and 7pm Nordic combined – this should be great, as the ski jumping trial round and competition round are followed in the early evening with the 10km cross-country 🥇
- 4.40pm and 9.10pm Ice hockey – the men’s competition begins with two group B match-ups: ROC v Switzerland followed by Czech Republic v Denmark 🏒
- 7pm – 9.20pm Short track speed skating – for women there are 1,000m heats and the 3,000m semi-finals, for men the 1500m goes from quarter-finals all the way to the final 🥇
- 8.05pm Curling – the round-robin stage gets under way in the men’s competition 🥌
- 8.20pm Luge – two runs at the Yanqing National Sliding Centre will decide the doubles medals 🥇
Full Winter Olympics schedule | Results, sport by sport | Medal table
