That’s it from me as the sun sets on day six in Milano Cortina. Thanks for your company, we’ll be back in the morning for more Winter Olympic thrills, spills, slides and something that rhymes with slides. Goodnight!
Winter Olympics Day Six Round Up
Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych was kicked out of competing in the skeleton by the IOC after his helmet featured images of athletes killed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Speaking to journalists following the IOC’s decision, the 27-year-old was asked how he felt. “Emptiness,” he replied. “Yesterday was amazing training. I could be among the medalists in this event, but suddenly, because of some interpretation of the rules which I do not agree with, I am not able to compete.”
Team USA’s snowboard sensation Chloe Kim missed out on an historic third-straight gold in the halfpipe competition. South Korea’s Choi Ga taking gold and Kim the silver
Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida wins her second Gold medal of the games after triumphing in a dramatic 5000m speed skating gold by a tenth of a second
More Gold for the host nation with Federica Brignone winning the alpine skiing women’s Super-G, remarkably in the same year that she broke her leg and tore her ACL
Great Britain’s men hold off defending champions Sweden in the curling Round-Robin but the women lose their first match to China
Australia’s Cooper Woods win Men’s Mogul Gold
Sweden’s Frida won Gold int the 10km cross-country skiing
Alessandro Haemmerle of Austria retains his Olympic Gold in the snowboard cross
Germany won Gold in the mixed team luge, Ukraine’s team took a knee and raised their helmets in solidarity with team-mate Heraskevych after their run
The Netherlands won two Golds in the speed skating - Xandra Velzeboer posting a World Record time in the 500m before Jens van ‘t Wout scooped 1000m Gold
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The American duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the reigning three-time world champions contentiously missed out on Olympic ice dance gold on Wednesday despite a flawless skate. But the controversy surrounding the event is not merely a debate over artistic and technical merits.
Gold went by a narrow margin to the French duo of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron. It was a stunning achievement for a partnership that is less than a year old. But the union was forged after the fallout from sexual assault allegations levelled at Fournier Beaudry’s boyfriend and former ice dance partner, while Cizeron is the subject of allegations of abusive conduct from his erstwhile skating partner.
Nikolaj Sørensen, a 36-year-old Danish-Canadian ice dancer who is dating Fournier Beaudry, was banned by the Canadian skating governing body for at least six years in 2024 for “sexual maltreatment” related to allegations that he sexually assaulted an American coach and former skater in 2012. He denied the accusations and the suspension was overturned in 2025 on a technicality relating to questions of jurisdiction.
Day Six in Pics: Some belters in here. Worth seeking out some of the snaps from the boarders at their zenith in the snowboard halfpipe competition too. Gnarly, as the kids do not say.
Medal Count: We’re coming to the close of the action on day six, here’s a look at the latest medal table:
Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe:
The snowfall coming down on Livigno Snow Park on Thursday night helped produce one of the bigger Olympic upsets in snowboard history, as Chloe Kim’s bid to become the first rider to win three consecutive Olympic halfpipe gold medals fell just short.
Kim finished with a best score of 88.00 from her opening run, settling for silver behind surprise winner Choi Gaon of South Korea, whose heroic third run after an early fall earned 90.25 and rewrote the Olympic record books. Japan’s Mitsuki Ono took bronze with 85.00.
For a sport that has spent nearly a decade orbiting Kim’s technical and competitive standard, the result felt seismic – not because she rode poorly, but because someone else finally assembled the perfect combination of risk, execution and timing on the night it mattered most.
🥇 Gold for Jens van 't Wout in the men's 1000m short track speed skating
What a final lap! Chaos on the ice as there is a mad dash for the finish line! It is a Dutch double this evening as Jens van ‘t Wout snatches it at the last! The Dutchman was in a real dogfight with the Canadian William Dandjinou, the pair overtook each other multiple times during the frenetic race, but van ‘t Wout takes it.
China’s Long Sun somehow took Silver despite being at the back of the racing pack for most of it and an emotional Rim Jong-un, the Korean 18 year old snared Bronze. I need a brew and a lie down.
*You have no idea how many times I’ve checked that apostrophe by the way
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🥇 Gold for Xandra Velzeboer in the women's 500m short track speed skating
Heart stopping stuff! All of the racers make it through this time after the false start and Xandra Velzeboer takes it by a few lengths! She led the whole way round, a blur of orange, and held off a tight chasing pack. Arianna Fontana takes silver and with it her 13th Olympic medal.
The home crowd cheer Fontana loudly as she does an emotional lap or three of honour.
Canada’s Courtney Sarault takes the bronze. Phew.
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Women’s Curling Round Robin: China close it out, they beat Great Britain by 7-4 after a hard fought match. Jenn Dodds and her teammates look disheartened but they’ll dust themselves down and be back pushing the granite tomorrow afternoon against South Korea.
Short Track Speed Skating: They’re off! Ah. They’re down! A collision on the first corner sees Selma Poutsma slide away like Liam Gallager in 1995. We’ll have a re-start in a few minutes.
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Short Track Speed Skating: The Women’s 500m gold medal race will be underway shortly. The ice skate blades they are using in these races are huge, they resemble two extra large Toblerones. I might just be peckish.
The home favourite – Italy’s Arianna Fontana - won her first Olympic short-track speed skating medal at the Turin Winter Olympics in 2006 aged just 15 years old. She will go against the Canadian pair of Courtney Sarault and Kim Boutin with the flying Dutchwoman Xandra Velzeboer and her compatriot Selma Poutsma (who qualified as the fastest third place skater) completing the final line up.
They are being called out one by one and the crowd in the stadium cheer wildly for each finalist, the roof is nearly blown off as Fontana makes her entrance!
Women’s Curling Round Robin: It is not looking good for Great Britain, they are 6-3 down after nine ends and look a bit deflated, they do have the hammer but China have raised their level and after being 2-0 down are looking likely to take the match.
Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe: Chloe Kim was the first competitor over to congratulate Choi Gaon. A class act.
Beau Dure has the final standings as a tense and dramatic event comes to a close with a new Olympic champion:
90.25 Choi Gaon (South Korea) Gold
88.00 Chloe Kim (USA) Silver
85.00 Mitsuki Ono (Japan) Bronze
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84.00 Sara Shimuzu (Japan)
81.75 Rise Kudo (Japan)
80.75 Cai Xuetong (China)
78.00 Wu Shaotong (China)
77.00 Bea Kim (USA)
68.25 Sena Tomita (Japan)
33.50 Queralt Castellet Ibanez (Spain)
27.50 Elizabeth Hosking (Canada)
5.50 Maddie Mastro (USA)
🥇Gold for South Korea's Choi Gaon in the women’s halfpipe!
You can’t script this. Well, maybe in the Star Wars universe, where Darth Vader struck down the people who guided him in the Jedi (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Sith (Emperor Palpatine) ways.
The mere fact that she upset her mentor’s quest for a threepeat would be dramatic enough. But she did it after a terrible fall in her first run. The Olympics results feed said she had withdrawn from the competition. Instead, she raced to the line for a second run on which she also fell.
Then her third run was majestic. She put the pressure on Kim to go even bigger, and Kim couldn’t do it.
The Olympics, folks. Where else do you see this?
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Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe: Chloe Kim is the only boarder left. It’s all on this, she has to deliver. This is the first time in her Olympic career where she’s been put in this position, her other Gold’s have come with a victory lap. There will be no such thing today, here we go!
CURRENT PODIUM
90.25 Choi
88.00 Kim (one more run)
85.00 Ono
Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe: Choi knocks Kim out of first!
It’s snowing hard again, and Choi Gaon is in the pipe, which is impressive in its own right after her devastating crash in the first run. She loads up with three 900s, and everything is clean.
Up to the judges … who are taking some times …
90.25! She’s ahead of her mentor Chloe Kim!
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Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe: It is bucketing it down with snow on the half pipe, is it contributing to how many wipeouts and failed landings we’ve seen?
Ouch! Canada’s Elizabeth Hosking hits the lip of the wall and crashes down onto her back. I think she’s ok, she unclips from her board but is being seen to by the medics.
Short Track Speed Skating: Zhang Chutong of China and Julie Letai of the United States collide for a second time! This is chaos. I feel like Alan Partridge commentating on the tour de France.
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Women’s Curling Round Robin: It’s all square at 2-2 between Great Britain and China at the halfway stage. It’s an edgy affair as Mary J Blige did not sing. Mary J can’t curl for Highland toffee I bet.
Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe: What else can Chloe Kim do? Maybe launch herself into orbit?
The first three tricks are the same as in her first run – 720, switch with big amplitude, double cork 1080 again, and she tries back-to-back double corks!
But no, she can’t land that one. If she finishes that off in the last run, judges will run out of numbers.
Standings after second run
Everyone gets one more chance to improve …
88.00 C. Kim (USA)
85.00 Ono (Japan)
81.75 Kudo (Japan) – improved from 77.50
80.75 Cai (China) – improved from 73.00
77.00 B. Kim (USA) – improved from 7.25
70.25 Wu (China) – improved from 67.75
68.25 Tomita (Japan) – improved from 23.50
Hosking (Canada) has come close to completing a strong routine but hasn’t done so.
Short Track Speed Skating: This is fast. I’d argue too fast to live blog… but the women’s 500m quarter-final sees a new Olympic record straightaway!
Flying Dutchwoman Xandra Velzeboer, the current world record holder, scorches the ice with a time of 41.583.s!
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Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe:
Chloe Kim is just awesome.
There’s no other way to describe that.
OK, we’ll try – backside 720, switch backside air, switch double cork 1080 …
A mere mortal, upon landing that trick, would take it easy the rest of the way. She didn’t.
Good luck beating that.
88.00
Standings after first run
Reminder: Only the best run of the three will count.
88.00 Kim (USA)
85.00 Ono (Japan)
77.50 Kudo (Japan)
73.00 Cai (China)
67.75 Wu (China)
No one else completed a run without a fall, so those scores really aren’t worth collecting here.
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Women’s Curling Round Robin: Great Britain take a 2-0 lead against China heading into the fourth end. The Chinese team were just guilty of a “hog-line violation” the first one at these games. It’s a bit like a foot fault in tennis – the thrower must release their stone before crossing the green line.
“There was a lingering finger,” says BBC Sport’s Logan Gray on comms. I think I had a pint of Lingering Finger at Ilkley Beer Festival in 2008. Malty.
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Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe: Chloe Kim is about to attempt her first run… Snoop Dogg is in the house too!
Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe: It’s still 0-0 in the curling but I’m distracted by the shrieks on my second screen as both Sena Tomita of Japan and Canada’s Elizabeth Hosking wipeout! Thankfully both are ok and will have two more attempts to pull off something special. Each competitor has three runs and only their best score counts. Pressure on!
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Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe: Chloe Kim will have the chance to watch all of her fellow competitors strut their stuff before she heads out last in the first run: Follow along with Beau Dure here:
Running order:
1. Wu Shaotong (China)
2. Mitsuki Ono (Japan)
3. Bea Kim (USA)
4. Sena Tomita (Japan)
5. Elizabeth Hosking (Canada)
6. Queralt Castellet Ibanez (Spain)
7. Choi Goan (South Korea)
8. Cai Xuetong (China)
9. Rise Kudo (Japan)
10. Maddie Mastro (USA)
11. Sara Shimizu (Japan)
12. Chloe Kim (USA)
Women’s Curling Round Robin: Jen Dodds and her team have just got underway against China at the curling centre. Britain won gold in Beijing but only Dodds remains from that team, they are thus not considered favourites but are on record saying they are “dreaming of a medal”.
Steve Cram’s soothing North East of England tones waft out of the telly, we’re in safe hands folks. It’s 0-0 after three ends.
🥇 Gold for Germany in the Luge Team Relay!
They beat Austria into silver by half a second and Italy take the bronze. The Germans are the masters of this event, it’s a fourth consecutive gold for them. Team members and legendary sliders Tobias Arlt and Tobias Wendl also become eight-time gold medal winners in the process.
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Luge Team Relay: Just Germany left to slide, Austria sit in Silver and Italy have just taken the Bronze position! Julia Taubitz to lead Germany off and she’s already the quickest out of the traps…
Luge Team Relay: The Polish team have a nightmare on the very first bit of the course, sliding sideways and hitting the ice with a thud which slows them right down. That mistake will basically cost them posting any sort of competitive time.
The Ukraine team slide down and sit in second position currently with a time of 3 mins 46 seconds. At the end of the run the team make a unified statement, taking a knee and raising their helmets above their heads. Quietly powerful.
To be a Olympic-class skeleton racer requires extraordinary guts and impeccable nerve, as the corners loom and then whoosh past at frightening speed. So did anybody really believe that Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych would lose his when the world’s eyes were upon him?
Not the International Olympic Committee, who flipped between threats of expulsion and sweet talk over the last fortnight, without coming close to changing his mind. And certainly not those of us who have spoken and messaged Heraskevych, and found a man utterly prepared to sacrifice his dream of winning a Winter Olympic medal for a higher purpose.
In public and private his message was the same: he would not back down. And if the IOC barred from competing in his “helmet of memory”, which commemorates some of the 600 Ukrainian athletes and coaches killed by Russian bombs and bullets since 2022, he would accept his fate.
And when the moment came, shortly before 8.30am on Thursday, he met it with a powerful but resolute message: “This is price of our dignity,” alongside a photo of his helmet.
For the IOC it must have been like watching a public relations car crash from the passenger seat. One that everyone knew was going to happen – and nothing could be done about it.
Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe: The USA’s Chloe Kim will be going for gold from around 18:30pm GMT. Our colleagues in the US have got a dedicated blog up and running as Kim attempts to bag an incredible, gravity defying third Olympic gold in a row after becoming the first woman to successfully defend the Olympic halfpipe title in 2022.
Join Beau Dure for all the buildup:
Luge Team Relay: Romania are the first team out of the traps. They get down with a few bumps that slow them right down, 3 mins and 49 seconds isn’t going to cut it (apparently). As ever the camerawork on these sliding events is fast, frenetic and fantastic. So many cutaways. It’s a bit like watching an Edgar Wright movie. Baby Luger?
Germany will be the last of the nine teams to go, they are the defending champs and the team to beat. Austria and Latvia could challenge them and China are an outside bet.
Luge Team Relay: Is just getting underway at the Cortina sliding centre. This event is an absolute riot, the crowds are packed in and cheering and we’ve not go to our first sliders yet.
The team consists of women’s singles, women’s doubles, men’s singles and men’s doubles. They set off at the top and slide down as fast as they can, when they reach the bottom they thwack a button which signals their team-mate at the top of the hill to get sliding. Imagine a university drinking boat race but with far fewer blokes in gilets from the home counties braying and drinking ale.
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Thanks Tanya and hello everyone. I come armed with my kitchen broom and have donned my slipper socks to bring you all the action from Milano Cortina via my sofa and various watching devices. We’ve got curling, snowboard halfpipe and luge relay to get stuck into over the next few hours.
Tune in and join in on the email at the left flank of this page.
Ice hockey:
Canada have taken a 3-0 lead against Czech Republic, Bo Harvat slotting the puck after 37 minutes.
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That’s all from me for today, Jim Wallace will carry you through to the close.
Ice hockey: With seven minutes of the second period left, Canada are 2-0 up against the Czech Republic. An entertaining flurry of sticks, shoulder pads, flying ice and heavy duty body hits.
Women’s 5000m speed skating: What a thrilling race! Lollobrigida crosses the line, squints at the clock, unzips her hood and grins to the rafters. Her second medal in less than a week.
Merel Conijn, who takes silver, goes across to hug her, Ragne Wilund, of Norway, wins bronze. In the margins of sporting history, Belgium’s Sandrine Tas throws her arms to the sky in despair, pipped into fourth at the last.
🥇 Francesca Lollobrigida takes gold in the Women's 5000m speed skating
With one lap to go, Lollobrigida looks done, arms all over the place, she somehow staggers to the line – and she’s snatched it! By 0.10 seconds.
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Women’s 5000m speed skating: after 3000m, Francesca Lollobrigida, gold medallist on Saturday, is on course for gold. Martina Sablikova, who had to withdraw from the same event after illness, is more than five seconds behind.
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Women’s 5000m speed skating: From nowhere, Wiklund loses time in the final lap. She puts her head in her hands as she crosses the line and realises she hasn’t snatched the lead. Merel Conijn, who is now guaranteed a medal, cannot believe her luck, and covers her mouth in surprise.
One more pair to come: Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida and Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic.
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Women’s 5000m speed skating: the penultimate pair of 3000m silver medallist Ragne Wiklund, and Canada’s Isabelle Weidemann, who was pipped at the post at Beijing four years ago, take to the ice
With five laps to go, Wiklund is in the lead and looking relaxed.
Women’s 5000m speed skating: much vocal excitement accompanies Dutch skater Merel Conijn as she circumnavigates the ice alongside Belgium’s Sandrine Tas.
The skaters are racing the clock, not each other,and can, says the commentator, help each other along the way. The coaches shout and point from the side of the ice and the whole thing looks completely exhausting.
Here’s the bell… and Conijn sprints round the bend and zips across the line first. She is now in gold medal position, with Tas in silver. Both skaters bend over, hands on knees, and remember to breathe.
Breezy Johnson gets engaged!
A sad-happy tale – Downhill champion Breezy Johnson crashed out of the Super G at the top of the mountain, but got engaged at the bottom!
“I mean, who doesn’t want to leave with a couple pieces of metal?” she said.
Women’s 5000m speed skating: With six skaters done and dusted, Belarusian Maryna Zuyeva, competing under a neutral flag, lies in first place. The large Dutch contingent in the audience wait nervously for Merel Conijn to take to the ice.
Men’s ice hockey: No-one has yet broken the 0-0 deadlock in the heavyweight game between the Czech Republic and Canada, teams loaded with NHL players…though as I type Canada score, only for the referee to disallow it.
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Women’s 5000m speed skating: It’s two athletes at a time in this event, who must switch from inner to outer lane at the end of each lap to ensure they cover the same distance. Fastest athlete overall wins. The rink is 400 metres round, which leaves the competitors 12 and a half laps of agony.
The third pair are now on the ice: Nadezhda Morozova of Kazakhstan, in a natty blue hooded suit, and 20 year old German Maira Jasch. It’s a game of long strides, low crouches and looped arms.
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Women’s 5000m speed skating: Time to zip back into our aerodynamic suits and return to Milan for the next medal event: the women’s 5000m speed skating.
The likely contenders include Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida, who won the 3000m event on Saturday, the silver medallist in the same event, Norway’s Ragne Wiklund, and Canada’s Isabelle Weidemann, who was second at Beijing four years ago.
Steve Cram has such a soothing voice, yet has never read a CBeebies bedtime story.
For now, we have to settle for him interviewing victorious Team GB captain Bruce Mouat. “We are having a great time,” Moat says. “Our family and friends are still here, the German spectators are probably the loudest I’ve ever heard.”
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Men’s team curling: The defending champions Sweden concede the game to Great Britain (6-3), who now have two wins from two in this round-robin set of matches. Sweden, who lost to Italy last night, retire to find some form.
In the other two round-robin games, Switzerland have defeated the USA 8-3, and things remain tight between Norway and Germany. Germany currently lead 4-3.
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Norway still sit on top of the medal table
Europe dominate the top end of the medal table, with Italy taking full advantage of “home ice”:
1 🇳🇴 Norway 🥇 7 🥈 2 🥉 4 – Total: 13
2 🇮🇹 Italy 🥇 5 🥈 2 🥉 7 – Total: 14
3 🇺🇸 United States 🥇 4 🥈 6 🥉 3 – Total: 13
4 🇸🇪Sweden 🥇 4 🥈 3 🥉 1 – Total: 8
5🇨🇭 Switzerland 🥇 4 🥈 1 🥉 2 – Total: 7
Team GB are yet to get off the starting blocks, but Matt Weston has an excellent chance in the skeleton final tomorrow.
That medal table in full:
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Curling: A reminder of what all the frantic brushing is for – the friction melts the ice and produces a thin layer of water which allows the heavy stones to slide more easily. It can also change the trajectory, the degree to which a stone curls.
The team with the stone closest to the centre (button) scores a point after each end, and gains one point for every stone closer to the button than the opponents stone.
It’s looking good for Team GB who have gone 6-2 ahead after seven ends.
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Curling: Some fantastic Scandinavian beards on show from the Swedish quartet while the Brits are youthfully clean-shaven. At the moment, the rub of the green lies with the less hirsute nation. We’re still in the seventh end, and some vigorous brushing sends the latest British stone safely into the house. GB currently lead 4-2.
Curling: Time for a gentler pastimes, as we join Team GB in the men’s team curling event. The British quarter lead Sweden 4-2 and will take the hammer into the seventh end. Captain Bruce Moat, so disappointed in the pairs event, looks remarkably chilled
Co-currently, Germany, supported by chanting supporters, are leading Norway 3-2; while Switzerland lead the USA 6-2.
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As the fallout continues over Vladyslav Heraskevych’s disqualification from the skeleton, an email from reader Charles Coull:
“IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said that the IOC could not become involved in conflicts and wars and that was why Vladyslav Heraskevych was banned from competing. He went on to say that bringing conflicting nations together through sport was the Olympics way of solving conflict. If that is the case why was Russia banned from Olympic competition for its unprovoked aggression in invading Ukraine?
“Vladyslav Heraskevych’s helmet simply commemorated those athletes killed by that act of unprovoked aggression which in itself was punished by the IOC in banning Russia from competition. Surely if Heraskevych’s simple act of modest and dignified remembrance in the face of an aggressor nation is a political statement then the IOC’s entirely correct action in banning an entire nation from competition for that same aggression is a political statement of significantly higher magnitude?
“It makes no sense whatsoever.”
Historian Bruce Berglund discusses the repercussions from that IOC ban on Russia, below.
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🥇 Gold for Alessandro Haemmerle in the men's snowboard cross
Wow! A thrilling final to the men’s snowboard cross, as Austria’s Alessandro Haemmerle comes through at the last to retain his title. Poor young Aidan Chollet of France goes from first to fourth in the last 23 metres.
Canada’s Eliot Grondin takes silver, and another Austrian, Jakob Dusek grabs bronze
That is one fun sport.
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That is all from me today. But never fear, Tanya is here to take you through the rest of the afternoon.
In pictures: Our fantastic picture desk has collated these snaps from day six. Have a look.
Skeleton: Great Britain’s Matt Weston is poised for the podium after setting the pace in the opening two runs of the men’s skeleton.
Weston posted a new track record of 56.21sec on his first run, with that time broken twice more before he again laid down a new marker of 55.88sec.
His teammate Marcus Wyatt sits in seventh place on a total time of 1:53.21, 1.12sec behind Weston and 0.66sec off the medals.
Vladyslav Heraskevych was banned about 21 minutes before the start of the event, so late the two British competitors, Matt Weston and Marcus Wyatt said they didn’t even find out about it until after they had finished.
“It’s just a shame that he’s missed out on a chance of being able to compete at an Olympics, which is very sad, said Matt Weston.
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Beau Dure gets in touch to add some context to Jessie Diggins’ reaction after crossing the finish line in the cross-country skiing, women’s 10km interval start free:
Not sure how much this was shown globally, but the images on US TV of Jessie Diggins after crossing the finish line will surely be an indelible Olympic moment. She was crying out in pain and holding her ribs, which she bruised in her crash in the skiathlon. A teammate came over to support and knelt by her. Diggins finally got up soon after the last person who had a chance to knock her off the podium passed the finish line, and she melted into her teammate’s arms. We’re used to seeing cross-country skiers and biathletes collapse into the snow after the finish line, but this was on another level.
It’s easy to be cynical at times – and people in the USA are outraged over the judging in yesterday’s ice dance – but it’s hard to see something like that and not be moved.
My broadcast showed her grimacing but cut away quite quickly.
Snowboard: Quarter-finals in the men’s snowboard cross are under way. Austria’s Jakob Dusek wins the first heat and a photo-finish is needed to confirm that Aidan Chollet of France beats his compatriot Merlin Surget to sail into the semis.
Canada’s Nathan Pare is disqualified in the second heat after taking out Spain’s Lucas Eguibar Breton. The Canadian initially won the heat but French duo Jonas Chollet and Loan Bozzolo go through.
Italy’s Lorenzo Sommariva and Nick Baumgartner of the United States progress from the third heat and Canada’s Eliot Grondin and Austria’s Alessandro Haemmerle in the fourth.
Chris gets in touch via email regarding the IOC’s decision to ban Heraskevych.
The IOC seems determined to be on the wrong side of the Heraskevych situation. Couldn’t they at least have an ‘In Memoriam’ period at the Closing Ceremony – including ALL Olympians who have died since the last Games? Instead they’re penalising an athlete for having a conscience.
Zelenskyy condemns IOC decision to ban Heraskevych
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has bitterly accused the IOC of playing into Russia’s hands by banning the Ukrainian athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych from wearing his “helmet of memory”, saying: “Sport shouldn’t mean amnesia”.
In a trenchant post on social media, Ukraine’s president said the Olympic movement should “help stop wars” rather than rewarding “aggressors”. He paid tribute to Heraskevych, who was banned from competing on Thursday an hour before the skeleton competition began. “We are proud of Vladyslav and of what he did. Having courage is worth more than any medal,” Zelenskyy wrote.
He added: “I thank our athlete for his clear stance. His helmet, bearing the portraits of fallen Ukrainian athletes, is about honour and remembrance. It is a reminder to the whole world of what Russian aggression is and the cost of fighting for independence. And in this, no rule has been broken.”
“It is Russia that constantly violates Olympic principles, using the period of the Olympic Games to wage war. In 2008, it was the war against Georgia; in 2014 – the occupation of Crimea; in 2022 – the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. And now, in 2026, despite repeated calls for a ceasefire during the Winter Olympics, Russia shows complete disregard, increasing missile and drone strikes on our energy infrastructure and our people.”
The IOC’s decision has caused widespread anger and outrage in Ukraine, where more than 600 athletes have been killed since Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion four years ago. Zelenskyy pointedly noted that they would not be able to take part in the Olympics or other international competitions – in contrast to 13 Russians who are “currently competing in Italy”.
Zelenskyy added: “They compete under “neutral” flags at the Games, while in real life publicly supporting Russian aggression against Ukraine and the occupation of our territories. And they are the ones who deserve disqualification.”
Kyiv’s mayor and former boxer Vitali Klitschko – who won gold in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics – said the IOC wanted a “perfect TV show”. He said: “The Olympic ideal is being lost in the cold calculations of the global sports business. When I think of my Olympic gold medal today, I don’t feel pride any more. I feel shame.”
Snowboard: The top 16 in the men’s snowboard cross quarter-finals have been confirmed.
Team GB’s Huw Nightingale failed to make it to this round but will compete in the mixed team event with Charlotte Bankes on Sunday.
Four Frenchmen have made the quarter-finals, but have ended up in the same two heats as one another (Aidan Chollet and Merlin Surget in heat 1 and Jonas Chollet and Loan Bozzolo in heat 2). This is the Chollet brothers’ first Olympic Games.
Nick Baumgartner, 44, of the United States is aiming for his first individual Olympic medal (he won mixed team gold four years ago in Beijing).
Italy are second in the medal table with five golds compared to Norway’s seven and lead in overall medal tally. Beau Dure asks whether ‘home ice’ has given the host nation an edge?
To an extent, a host-country boost is typical in the Olympics. The US shattered their medal records at Salt Lake City 2002. Canada set a record for gold medals in one edition of the Winter Olympics when they hosted in 2010, though that record has since been broken by Norway. South Korea and China won more medals as hosts in 2018 and 2022 than they ever had in any previous edition. (The 2014 Games in Russia can’t provide a solid point of comparison because of the pervasive doping issues involving the host country.)
Read the full feature below.
🥇🥈Sweden win one-two in women’s 10km interval start free
Frida Karlsson collapses as she crosses the finish line in the women’s 10km interval start free. Her time of 22:49.2 is not going to be beaten and she will take gold for Sweden. Her compatriot Ebba Andersson finishes second and Jessie Diggins of the United States just sneaks bronze ahead of Norway’s Astrid Øyre Slind.
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Cross-country skiing: Frida Karlsson of Sweden has extended her lead in the women’s 10km interval start free. She is almost a minute clear of compatriot Ebba Andersson.
Banned Heraskevych accuses IOC of fuelling Russia’s propaganda
Vladyslav Heraskevych has accused the International Olympic Committee of doing Russia’s propaganda for them after he was barred from racing in the Winter Games because he wanted to wear a “helmet of memory” in honour of Ukraine’s war dead.
Speaking to journalists following the IOC’s decision, the 27-year-old was asked how he felt. “Emptiness,” he replied. “Yesterday was amazing training. I could be among the medalists in this event, but suddenly, because of some interpretation of the rules which I do not agree with, I am not able to compete.
“I was at many funerals when I was in Ukraine and it’s a truly terrible tragedy that young people at such a young age were killed for nothing,” he added. “Because of their sacrifice, we’re able to be here today, and I want to honour them, and I want to honour their families.”
Heraskevych also thanked the IOC’s president, Kirsty Coventry, for meeting him at 8.30am, an hour before the skeleton competition began, and for what he said were her kind words to him. But he added: “But, as I told her, this situation plays along with Russian propaganda and it does not look good. I believe it’s a terrible mistake that was made by the IOC.”
🥇Woods wins freestyle skiing gold for Australia in men's moguls final after tie-breaker
What a twist! Australia’s Cooper Woods and Canada’s Mikaël Kinsbury score 83.71 in the men’s moguls final but Woods takes top spot due to the better score on his turns. Kingsbury wins silver and Japan’s Ikuma Horishima takes bronze with a score 83.44.
That is Australia’s first medal at these Games!
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Freestyle skiing: Mikaël Kingsbury of Canada takes the lead with one athlete to go! He attacks his second run in the men’s moguls finals and scores a 83.71. Will the three-time medallist nab his second gold?
IOC to allow Heraskevych to keep Olympic accreditation
The Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych had initially been told he would be stripped of his accreditation after being disqualified from the Winter Olympics for refusing to back down from wearing a “helmet of memory” in honour of Ukraine’s war dead.
The IOC has now reversed that decision, saying that Heraskevych was allowed to keep his credentials and stay at the Milano Cortina Games after the IOC president, Kirsty Coventry, asked its Disciplinary Commission to “reconsider the withdrawal” of the athlete’s accreditation.
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Freestyle skiing: Ikuma Horishima is about to start his second run in the men’s moguls final … a fantastic landing after spinning like a top, twisting in to a 1440 on the bottom jump. Good turns and great speed. He snares top spot with a score of 83.44.
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Ice hockey: Switzerland lead France 2-0 as we go into the second period with, with goals from Damien Riat (powerplay) and J.J. Moser.
🥇Brignone wins gold for Italy in the alpine skiing women's Super-G
Federica Brignone’s long, painful climb back to the top is complete. The 35-year-old wins the first Olympic gold medal of her decorated career by winning the women’s super-G.
Less than a year removed from breaking multiple bones in her left leg – which resulted in two surgeries and months of rehab – Brignone navigated the tricky technical Trofane course in 1:23.41. Romane Miradoli of France and Cornelia Huetter of Austria won silver and bronze.
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Thank you Tanya and hello all. We have a confirmed gold medal coming up …
Time for me to grab a coffee, Yara El-Shaboury will be your guide for the next couple of hours.
Men’s Moguls: The first part of this two-part final is done, with the top eight going through to the final showdown on the lumpy slopes. Australia’s Cooper Woods qualifies first, followed by 13-time world champion Mikael Kingsbury, and another Australian, Matt Graham. Competitors do not carry any points through to Final 2.
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It looks like gold for Federica Brignone in the Women’s Super G, which will move Italy up to second place in the medal table. Ten athletes are yet to ski, 13 have not finished.
It would be sensational comeback for Brignone, who fractured her leg last April and was out of action for nearly 300 days.
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Finland ski jump coach sent home after breaching booze rules
The Finnish ski jumping head coach Igor Medved has apologised after being sent home for violating team rules by drinking alcohol at the Winter Olympics.
The news was confirmed by the Finnish Olympic committee, who said that Medved had left Italy due to “alcohol-related issues”.
“Medved has travelled home today,” said Janne Hänninen, head of elite sports at the Finnish Olympic Committee. “This is about alcohol-related issues. We take rule violations very seriously and will act quickly in the matter.”
Hänninen refused to go into further details about Medved’s behaviour, which the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet has described as a “drunkeness scandal”. However he added: “The priority is to ensure peace of mind for the athletes and the coaching staff.”
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A history of previous IOC rule violations by athletes
There have been a number of incidents over the years where athletes protested on the field of play or on the medals podium.
The most famous case dates back to the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City when U.S. sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised black-gloved fists during the 200 metres medal ceremony to protest racial injustice in the U.S. That led to their expulsion from the Games, although Smith kept his gold medal and Carlos his bronze.
More recently, at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, Afghan breakdancer Manizha Talash, a member of the refugee Olympic team, was disqualified after wearing a cape with the slogan “Free Afghan Women” during a pre-qualifying competition.
However, there have also been cases where athletes and teams escaped punishment when their action was not deemed political.
Australia’s women’s soccer team unfurled a flag of the first peoples of Australia at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but, while not one of the recognised flags of participating nations at the Games, the team were not sanctioned.
Two Chinese cycling medallists who wore badges featuring the head of their country’s former leader Mao Zedong on the Tokyo Olympics podium escaped with a warning. Reuters
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Super G: Watching so many athletes crash out before you, must affect the nerves of the waiting skiers … as another one goes out, the USA’s Mary Pocock. She sprays into the air over the roller and flips awkwardly on the snow. An air bag inflates to rescue her yet, somehow, she is able to stand up and walk away.
Super G: Quiet falls over the crowd as Breezy Johnson, the women’s Olympic downhill champion, becomes the next athlete not to finish, crashing soon after the start. She hooks one of the gates, loses balance and slams into some side netting. Thankfully, she seems to be ok.
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Super G: Back on the slopes, the very first skier to set off, Italy’s Federica Brigone, is still on top. Although some of her fellow medal contenders have skied off course, there are plenty of big names still to come.
Skeleton: … Weston plummets down the track, chin just above the ice, and finishes with a 0.30sec lead going into the second day. He gives his coach a huge hug and pumps the air. His teammate Marcus Wyatt sits in seventh place.
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Skeleton: With just Matt Weston to go it’s a German one-two: the silver medallist from four years ago, Axel Jungk, just ahead of Christopher Grotheer. Weston needs a new track record to stay in first. Here he comes with a sprint on to his sled …
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Skeleton: Great Britain’s Marcus Wyatt has a smooth descent into (temporary) first place, but his lead is only 0.01 seconds, with the top six still to come.
Super G: They’re falling like ninepins in the mountains, first Germany’s Emma Aicher, then the Czech Republic’s Ester Ledecka, who has a nasty fall, but manages to pick herself up and reach the bottom. And now Sofia Goggia – who hurtles down the slopes but goes out on the same gate as Aicher. Six have so far not finished.
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Women’s Super G: In the mountains, the Women’s Super G. It’s hazy at the top, the athletes launching themselves through the mist on to an unfamiliar course before hurtling down at whistle-stop speed.
Ah no, Germany’s Kira Weidle-Winkelmann makes a mistake and skies off the course. And so does the next athlete, Austria’s Mirjam Puchner.
Because the athletes haven’t had a chance to ski the course, there is a real disadvantage to going early.
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At the sliding centre, the USA’s Austin Florian zips down on his tin tray into first place – but with 13 sliders still to come, and sliding in reverse order of results in heat one.
A quick catch up on sporting events this morning:
Men’s moguls: Ikuma Horishima of Japan, who won bronze in Beijing, is top of the qualifiers in the men’s moguls, with 85.42 points. Two Canadiens, Julien Viel (79.56) and Mikael Kingsbury (79.11) lie in silver and bronze. Team GB’s Mateo Jeannesson was knocked out at the qualifying stage, finishing 30th, frustrated by a flaring heel injury.
Men’s snowboard cross: France’s Aidan Chollet is top of the pops in the first seeding run. Britain’s Huw Nightingale was 10th fastest and automatically qualifies for the knockout stage.
Heat two of the luge is under way, Britain’s Matt Weston, in pole position, will slide last.
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Medal events
Women’s Super G 11.30am GMT
Men’s moguls 12.15pm GMT
Women’s cross-country 10km interval 1pm GMT
Men’s cross snowboard 2.56pm GMT
Women’s speed skating 5000m 4.30pm GMT
Mixed luge team relay 6.30pm GMT
Womens half pipe 7.30pm GMT
Women’s speed skating 500m short track 9.35pm GMT
Men’s speed skating 1000m short track 9.48pm GMT
A devastated Vladyslav Heraskevych has been talking to reporters in the mixed zone.
“[I am feeling] Emptiness. Yesterday was amazing at training. I could be among the medallists in this event but because of some interpretation of the rules which I don’t agree with I am not able to compete … rememberance is not a violation of the rules.”
In the BBC studio, Lizzie Yarnold is still working through her thoughts. “Not being able to compete in your childhood dream just minutes before, and having your accreditation taken away so you won’t be allowed to support your fellow athletes. We are part of a community, so I think I’m just left with a real sense of sadness and real surprise.”
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Away from events at Cortina for a moment, there are nine golds waiting to be hung around necks today, on the ice, the snow, the half pipe and down the stomach-churning sliding centre.
Mid-morning, we have the blue riband Women’s Super G, where Mexico’s 46 year old Sarah Schleper, skies for middle aged women everywhere.
A little later, Japan’s Horishima Ikuma is the man to beat in the men’s moguls finals, while there is another medal up for grabs in the women’s cross-country skiing at 1pm. Anna Pryce goes for Team GB.
Two finals then unroll in the snowboarding – the men’s cross and the women’s half-pipe, where Chloe Kim is the huge favourite to win her third successive gold under lights this evening.
The chaotic team relay in the luge – women’s singles, men’s singles, women’s doubles and men’s doubles – starts at 6.30pm GMT.
And then the women’s 5000m speed skating at 4.30pm GMT, before two evening finals in the short track speed skating, women’s 500m and men’s 1000m, close the day.
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The skeleton event, in which Heraskevych was supposed to have been racing, is well under way at the Cortina Sliding Centre. After run one, Britain’s Matt Weston is currently in the lead, with Britain’s Marcus Wyatt in seventh.
Run two starts at 10.08am GMT, with the final tomorrow.
BBC commentator, and two-time Olympic bobsleigher, John Jackson, was asked about his view on Heraskevych:
“For me, being military and now a veteran, remembrance is really important to all veterans,” he said. “We have all lost friends and colleagues in conflict and we all know someone who isn’t here and paid the ultimate sacrifice.
“I support him in what he was trying to achieve. It is really important to remember those who have given their life for something that ultimately doesn’t need to happen.”
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IOC president Kirsty Coventry was in tears speaking to the media after the decision to disqualify Heraskevych. “This is price of our dignity,” Heraskevych posted on X shortly after his meeting with Coventry.
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The Kyiv-based artist Irina Protz, who has known Heraskevych since he was a child, decorated his helmet of memory, which showed 24 athletes killed in the Russian war.
“The world is becoming more apathetic every day,” she has said. “That is why I took on this work to remind the world that we had athletes who could have been here.”
The skeleton event, in which Heraskevych was a medal contender, is under way without him.
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The Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych has been disqualified from the Winter Olympics after he refused to back down from wearing a “helmet of memory” in honour of Ukraine’s war dead.
The decision was announced by the International Olympic Committee just 21 minutes before the first round of the men’s skeleton competition in Cortina on Thursday after last-ditch talks between the IOC president, Kirsty Coventry, and Heraskevych failed to find a breakthrough.
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Lizzy Yarnold, who won skeleton gold for Team GB in 2014 and 2018, is on pundit duty for the BBC and was asked about the decision to expel Heraskevych from the Olympics.
“He’s had his accreditation taken away, which means he needs to leave the Games … This is the wrong decision, and the IOC owe him an apology.”
Heraskevych on ban: 'It's emptiness'
From the Associated Press:
International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry was waiting for Heraskevych at the top of the track when he arrived at around 8.15am Thursday, or roughly 75 minutes before the start of the men’s skeleton race.
They went into a private area and spoke briefly, and Coventry was unable to change Heraskevych’s mind. He was holding the decision from the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation when he briefly addressed reporters and said he would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“It’s hard to say or put into words. It’s emptiness,” he said. Coventry spoke with reporters after the meeting, tears rolling down her face as she spoke. “It’s a message of memory and no one is disagreeing with that,” Coventry said. The IOC added that it made its decision “with regret.”
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Heraskevych kicked out of skeleton for memorial
Good morning and welcome to our daily live coverage from Milano Cortina.
Some breaking news: The Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych is out of the Games after refusing a last-minute plea from the International Olympic Committee to use a helmet other than the one that honours the nation’s war dead.
We’ll have more details soon on that and the rest of day six’s action, where nine golds are up for grabs.
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