Winter Olympics 2022 officially wraps up: LIVE UPDATES

IOC chief closes Winter Games

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has officially closed the Winter Games.

The 2026 Games will be held in Italy in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Final medals awarded at closing ceremony

Via AP

The winners of the men's and women's 30-kilometer mass start cross-country ski races have received their medals at the closing ceremony for the Beijing Olympics.

Alexander Bolshunov of the Russian Olympic Committee earned his third gold medal of the Beijing Olympics on Saturday. The race was supposed to be 50 kilometers, but it was delayed by an hour and shortened to 30 kilometers because of frigid temperatures and strong wind.

Russian teammate Ivan Yakimushkin won silver and Simen Hegstad Krueger of Norway took bronze.In the women's race on Sunday, Norwegian great Therese Johaug won her third gold medal of the Beijing Olympics. Jessie Diggins took silver for the best result by an American in an individual cross-country skiing event since 1976. Kerttu Niskanen of Finland won bronze.

The women also had to battle fierce winds and frigid temperatures.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Team USA joins the fray

Team USA joined the parade in Beijing.

The Americans finished with eight gold, 10 silver and seven bronze medals.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Developing Story

Closing ceremony begins in Beijing

The closing ceremony has begun in Beijing with dancers performing and athletes parading one more time.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Francesco Friedrich gets 4th bobsled gold as Germans dominate

Via AP

Double gold in Pyeongchang, double gold in Beijing.

Francesco Friedrich won everything the Olympics had to offer once again.

The world’s best bobsledder finished off a dominating Olympics by the world’s sliding superpower, winning the four-man race at the Beijing Games on Sunday. He won the two- and four-man events at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, then repeated the feat in Beijing -- the first double-double in Olympic bobsled history.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Olympics Closing Ceremony starts at 7 a.m. ET

After the last medal is awarded Sunday, organizers and athletes will turn to the Closing Ceremony to officially finish the Beijing Games.

Bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor will be the flagbearer for Team USA after the athlete was unable to carry the American flag at the Opening Ceremony when she tested positive for the coronavirus.

She is the first U.S. Winter Olympic athlete to be selected as the flagbearer for both the Opening and Closing ceremonies, according to NPR.

"I was so honored to be named the Opening Ceremony flag bearer, but after not being able to carry the flag, it's even more humbling to lead the United States at the Closing Ceremony," she said.

The Closing Ceremony, which starts Sunday at 7 a.m. ET, will feature all of the athletes walking together in the "Parade of Flags" and some kind of performance similar to the ones in the Opening Ceremony before the Olympic flame is extinguished. The Olympic flag will then be passed to Italy, host of the 2026 Games.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Skier Jessie Diggins wins final US medal of Beijing Games despite food poisoning

US Skier Jessie Diggins captured the silver in the 30-kilometer mass start cross-country race Sunday, despite spending most of Saturday in bed with food poisoning.

"That might have been the best race of my entire life, I'm not going to lie,” Diggins said at the finish line. “It was also maybe the hardest race of my whole life."

Diggins medal was the 25th and last for Team USA of the Games and her effort was the best for an American in an individual cross-country skiing event since 1976.

She is also the first American woman to win a medal in distance cross-country skiing, according to NBC.

“I was feeling pretty bad 24 hours ago,” she admitted. "I was talking to my parents and my mom said, ‘Don’t decide how you feel right now. Just go out there and ski because you love to race.’ And she was right."

She said “every last drop of energy" went into her race and with "nothing left" she managed to push through to place second.

Therese Johaug of Norway won the gold.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Breaking News

Finland beats Russian team earning country's first-ever gold in men's hockey

Finland beat the Russian Olympic Committee team in the men's hockey final to capture the country's first gold ever in the event Sunday.

The final score was 2-1 in the final competitive event of the Beijing Games.

Despite the Russians taking an early lead with the only goal after the first period, Finnish player Ville Pokka tied the game up in the second and Hannes Bjorninen scored the winning goal 31 seconds into the third period.

The Finns’ best finishes in 17 previous Olympic appearances were silver medals at the 1988 Calgary Games and 2006 Torino Games.

The Russians won the silver and Slovakia, who beat Sweden in an earlier game, won the bronze.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Russians, Finns playing for gold in men’s hockey

The gold medal men’s ice hockey game of the 2022 Winter Olympics gets underway Sunday in Beijing with the team from the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) facing off against Finland.

The losing team will receive the silver medal.

The ROC reached the final by defeating Sweden 2-1 in a shootout in Friday’s semifinal. The ROC outscored Finland 3-2 in the penalty shots that decided the game.

Finland reached the final by defeating Slovakia 2-0 in their semifinal, also on Friday.

Quarterfinal action earlier in the week included Slovakia eliminating the United States 3-2 and Sweden ousting Canada 2-0.

On Saturday, Slovakia captured the bronze medal, defeating Sweden 4-0.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Final day of Winter Olympics begins

Sunday, Feb. 20 is the final day of the Winter Olympics.

Alpine skiing, bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, curling and ice hockey are some of the events left on the schedule.

The closing ceremony is set for 7 a.m. ET.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Sui Wenjing, Han Cong earn gold at last in pairs figure skating

Via AP

Sui Wenjing and Han Cong exploded from their seats in the kiss-and-cry area, and a small and carefully chosen crowd of Chinese fans in the stands did the same, the moment their scores were read in the pairs event at the Beijing Olympics.

Four years after a crushing disappointment at the Pyeongchang Games, when they lost the gold medal by the thinnest of margins, Sui and Han had flipped the script: They were the ones walking away as champions by a razor-thin margin.

Sui and Han scored a world-record 239.88 points with a flawless free skate set to a rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Water," beating Russian rivals Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov by just 63 hundredths of a point.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Slovakia men's hockey takes home bronze

Via AP

Slovakia won its first Olympic hockey medal in the nation’s history, defeating Sweden 4-0 to win the bronze.

Juraj Slafovsky scored two goals for Slovakia. Slafkovsky at 17 is the youngest player in the tournament and leads all scorers with seven goals.

Slovakia is coached by Canada-born Craig Ramsay. Ramsay played 14 NHL seasons and was an assistant in the league for two decades.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

CAS rules US will not receive public medal ceremony before Games end

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected the request of Team USA figure skaters to public medals ceremony before the Games are over as the investigation into Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s failed drug test is ongoing.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) determined it would not have an awards ceremony for any event in which Valieva finished in the top three following the revelation she failed a drug test in December. Attorneys said in a letter to the IOC they would ask the CAS to make a ruling before Sunday’s closing ceremony.

“The Ad hoc Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled earlier today on an application filed by the US figure skaters Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Madison Chock, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim and Vincent Zhou against the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The USOPC was not a party to the CAS proceedings,” the CAS said in a statement.

“The athletes were seeking a ruling from the CAS Ad Hoc Division that the IOC be ordered to present to them the silver medals earned in the Figure Skating Team Event in a public medal ceremony to be held prior to the close of the XXIV Winter Olympic Games Beijing 2022.”

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Breaking News

Elana Meyers Taylor makes history

Elana Meyers Taylor picked up the fifth medal of her Winter Olympic career when she finished in third place in the women’s bobsled on Saturday.

The fifth medal is more than any Black athlete in Winter Olympic history and the most by any women’s bobsledder at the Olympics and two more than any other Olympic bobsledder has won for the U.S. – male or female.

The Germans finished 1 and 2 in the event. Laura Nolte picked up gold and Mariama Jamnka picked up a silver.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Irene Schouten wins 3rd gold on final day of speedskating

Via AP

Irene Schouten of the Netherlands captured her third gold medal of the Beijing Olympics, chasing down Canada’s Ivanie Blondin to win the women’s mass start on Saturday.

In the final speedskating event of the Winter Games, Schouten established herself as the biggest star at the Ice Ribbon with a furious push to overtake Blondin.

Blondin grabbed the lead on the backstraight, but Schouten roared back with an all-out sprint to the finish to win by 0.06 seconds.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

US figure skaters reportedly trying to get medals

Via AP

Attorneys for the U.S. figure skaters whose Olympic silver medals are being withheld have notified the IOC that they have filed an appeal to have them awarded before the end of the Beijing Games, The Associated Press has learned.

In a letter sent to IOC president Thomas Bach on Saturday in China, a copy of which was obtained by the AP, attorneys said they would ask the Court of Arbitration for Sport for a ruling before Sunday's closing ceremony.

Kamila Valieva led the Russian team to a victory in last week’s team event, and the U.S. finished second. Soon after, a positive doping test for the 15-year-old skater was disclosed. CAS allowed her to continue skating at the women's event, but the International Olympic Committee said it would not award medals in any events in which she finished among the top three.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Niklas Edin skips Sweden to curling gold, Britain 2nd

Via AP

Five-time world champion. Olympic bronze medalist. Olympic silver medalist.

And now, finally, Niklas Edin of Sweden has claimed the only major title missing from a career in which he’s established himself as the most decorated skip in curling history.

Four years after losing in the final at the Pyeongchang Games to American upstart John Shuster, Edin led Sweden to the gold medal on Saturday, beating Britain 5-4 in the first extra-end men's final in Olympic history.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Russian Alexander Bolshunov wins 3rd gold in 30K race

Via AP

Alexander Bolshunov sprinted to his third Olympic gold medal on Saturday in a 30-kilometer mass start cross-country ski race that was rescheduled and shortened because of strong wind and frigid temperatures.

The Russian was part of a five-man breakaway in the final kilometer. He pushed ahead on the final climb into the stadium, taking the title in 1 hour, 11 minutes, 32.7 seconds.

Russian teammate Ivan Yakimushkin crossed the line 5.5 seconds behind for silver, and Simen Hegstad Krueger of Norway took bronze, 7 seconds behind.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

US skiers David Wise, Alex Ferreira take silver, bronze in halfpipe

Two-time defending ski halfpipe champion David Wise and Alex Ferreira took silver and bronze in the event Saturday morning after being bested by Nico Porteous of New Zealand.

The competitors had to fight bitterly cold weather and swirling winds.

Wise previously won the gold in the event's 2014 Olympic debt and again in 2018.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Shaun White retires from Olympic competition

Legendary snowboarder Shaun White has decided to retire from Olympic competition after his run at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.

White released a lengthy statement Friday, saying he had "slid down the halfpipe at the Olympics for the final time."

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Germany leads in women's bobsled, US in 3rd

Via AP

The Germans remain right at home on China’s Olympic sliding track.

Winners of gold medals in seven of the eight sliding events so far at the Beijing Games, Germany has put itself in prime position to add more hardware to its record-setting total — holding down the top two spots at the midway point of the women’s bobsled competition Friday night.

Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi have a commanding half-second lead after two runs, with a combined time of 2:02.05. Defending Olympic champion Mariama Jamanka and Alexandra Burghardt are second, in 2:02.55.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Russia beats Sweden to set up final vs Finland

Via AP

The Russians got six stops from Ivan Fedotov and goals from Nikita Gusev, Yegor Yakolev and Arseni Gritsyuk to win an eight-round shootout and beat Sweden 2-1 Friday, advancing to a second consecutive Olympic final.

The team known as Russian Olympic Committee will face Finland on Sunday looking for back-to-back gold.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Elana Meyers Taylor named US flag bearer for closing ceremony

American bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor will be the flag bearer for the closing ceremony this weekend.

Meyers Taylor was set to be the flag bearer for the opening ceremony but tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to miss the event. She was eventually able to make it to Beijing.

“I was so honored to be named the Opening Ceremony flag bearer, but after not being able to carry the flag, it’s even more humbling to lead the United States at the Closing Ceremony,” she said in a statement. “Congratulations to my fellow Team USA athletes on all their success in Beijing – I'm looking forward to carrying the flag with my teammates by my side and closing out these Games.”

Meyers Taylor won a silver medal in the monobob on Feb. 14.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Thomas Krol wins 1,000, giving Dutch 3rd straight title

Via AP

Thomas Krol won gold in the 1,000 meters on Friday, giving the Netherlands its third straight Olympic speedskating title in the event.

Krol was timed in 1 minute, 7.92 seconds.

Laurent Dubreuil of Canada took silver. Haavard Lorentzen of Norway, the 2018 silver medalist, earned bronze.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Johannes Thingnes Boe, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet win gold medals in biathlon

Via AP

Johannes Thingnes Boe looked like his old self again, dominating from the start and holding his composure through the four shooting stages to win the Olympic gold medal Friday in the biathlon mass start race.

The Norwegian great threw his arms in the air as he crossed the line in 38 minutes, 14.4 seconds.

Martin Ponsiluoma of Sweden only missed one target in the last shooting and left the range chasing Boe. He earned silver, 40.3 seconds behind Boe.

Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen of Norway shot clean in the last shooting and took bronze, finishing 1:12.5 behind.

In the women's race, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet moved to the front with strong, patient shooting and stayed there with her cross-country skiing to win the women's mass start.

A bitter wind affected the field as they lined up each time to shoot, but Braisaz-Bouchet only missed once in the last standing shooting and skied out of the range in first place. She held on and crossed the line carrying a French flag in 40:18.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Ryan Regez leads 1-2 finish by Swiss in skicross final

Via AP

Ryan Regez went from downhill skier to apprentice as a structural draftsman to skicross racer to his latest endeavor — an Olympic gold medalist.

“What a crazy way,” he said of his unconventional journey. “I think it’s more likely to be struck by lightning — twice.”

Regez led a 1-2 finish by Switzerland in the skicross final on Friday at Genting Snow Park. The 29-year-old grabbed the lead early and never relinquished it along a course filled with bumps, jumps and rolling terrain. He raised his arms in triumph shortly after crossing the finish line.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Canada's Brad Gushue takes bronze in curling, US fourth

Via AP

Sixteen years after he won the Olympic curling gold medal, Brad Gushue is going back to Canada with bronze.

The Canadians capitalized on a missed final shot by American — and reigning Olympic champion — John Shuster in the second-to-last end that turned a one-point edge into an insurmountable 8-5 lead.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Court cites lab delay in ruling allowing Kamila Valieva to skate

Via AP

The judges who let Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva continue to compete at the Beijing Olympics blamed anti-doping officials in a legal document published Friday for a “failure to function effectively.”

The Court of Arbitration for Sport explained its verdict in the case that has dominated Olympic headlines for more than a week in a 41-page document, citing the “untenable delay” at the testing laboratory in Sweden as a reason for letting the 15-year-old Valieva skate in the women's competition.

Valieva’s positive test for a heart medication was only revealed during the Olympics despite her urine sample arriving at the Stockholm lab on Dec. 29. The lab’s staffing was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

IOC president says 'coldness' of Kamila Valieva's entourage after 4th-place skate was 'chilling'

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said watching the "tremendous coldness" of Kamila Valieva's entourage toward her after she fell two times in her free skate program Thursday was "chilling" to watch on TV.

"You could feel this chilling atmosphere, this distance," he said.

The 15-year-old's coach, Eteri Tutberidze, was seen on camera asking an emotional Valieva after her skate: “Why did you let it go? Why did you stop fighting?”

Tutberidze and other members of Valieva’s entourage will be investigated over the teenager’s positive test for a banned substance ahead of the Olympics.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Eileen Gu wins gold for China in ski halfpipe, record 3rd medal of games

Eileen Gu won the Olympic gold for China in ski halfpipe Friday, becoming the first action-sports athlete to earn 3 medals at the same Winter Games.

Gu, who was born in the U.S., already earned a gold in big air and a silver in slopestyle.

Canadian Cassie Sharpe, the defending Olympic champion, finished second and Canadian Rachael Karker earned the bronze. Hanna Faulhaber was the top American finisher in sixth place.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Britain, Sweden to play for men's curling gold

Via AP

The British have clinched their first medal of the Beijing Games, thanks to Bruce Mouat and the men's curling team.

Four Scottish lads beat the American defending Olympic champions 8-4 in the semifinals Thursday night to clinch no worse than a silver medal and earn the right to play Sweden for the gold.

Although Scotland is curling's birthplace and the sport remains a national passion, the British have not won the men's gold — and have just two medals of any color — since the sport returned to the Winter Games in 1998.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Breaking News

Kamila Valieva kept off the podium in women's free skate

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva finished with a 141.93 in the free skate, which kept her off the podium.

Valieva’s score was good enough to put her in fourth place.

Valieva slipped and fell a few times her final performance. The falls were uncharacteristic of Valieva who had been so dominant in the events leading up to the women’s free skate.

The 15-year-old star skater was emotional in the immediate aftermath of her round, appearing to come to grips with the fact making the podium.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Norway wins gold in Nordic combined team event

Via AP

Norway won Olympic gold in the Nordic combined team competition on Thursday, overcoming the COVID-related loss of Jarl Magnus Riiber.

The team of four-time Olympic gold medalist Joergen Graabak, Jens Luraas Oftebro, Espen Bjoernstad and Espen Andersen pulled away late in the cross-country race, winning by 54.9 seconds.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Sandra Naeslund claims skicross gold, ends Canada's reign

Via AP

World champion Sandra Naeslund of Sweden won the women’s Olympic skicross competition Thursday in a race where the third-place finisher was disqualified.

Naeslund opened up a lead and held off Canada’s Marielle Thompson on a snowy day along the winding course filled with bumps and jumps. Canada had won every gold in the women’s version of the race since the discipline's Olympic debut at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

US men's curling locked in

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Team USA reminds social media about Mikaela Shiffrin

Mikaela Shiffrin may not have had the Olympics she hoped for, but the accomplished skier is still one of the best in the world.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

ROC's Kamila Valieva gets another shot at the podium despite doping scandal

Embattled teenage Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva will compete in the women’s free skate Thursday night at the Winter Olympics as she hopes for another potential medal in the midst of a doping scandal.

If Valieva finishes in the top three of the competition, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has insisted there will be no flower ceremony or medal ceremony in case the organization has to eventually strip her of any potential medal she may win.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Miho Takagi wins 1st individual gold, Brittany Bowe breaks through

Via AP

Miho Takagi of Japan won her fourth speedskating medal of the Beijing Games and the first individual gold of her career with an Olympic-record victory in the women’s 1,000 meters Thursday.

The silver went to Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands, while Brittany Bowe of the United States claimed the first individual medal of her career with a bronze.

Takagi added to silver medals in the 500, 1,500 and team pursuit at the Beijing Games — and especially sweet after losing a gold in the pursuit when her older sister, Nana, fell in the final turn with Japan leading.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

US minus Brianna Decker comes up short in final vs. Canada

Via AP

The United States may have lost the gold medal 10 minutes into the Olympics.

Two weeks before facing Canada in the women's hockey final, the Americans watched first-line center and arguably their best player, Brianna Decker, get stretchered off the ice with a broken leg early in the tournament opener.

Try as they might to fill the gaping hole in their lineup, missing Decker proved to be too much to overcome in a 3-2 loss to the Canadians in the gold-medal game Thursday.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Michelle Gisin wins back-to-back combined, Mikaela Shiffrin out again

Via AP

Michelle Gisin's second straight Olympic title in the Alpine combined lifted Switzerland's ski team to a record haul in China.

Gisin won Thursday's two-leg race at Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Center, completing her slalom run shortly after Mikaela Shiffrin again skied off course. That gave the Swiss team a fifth Alpine gold medal at the Beijing Games.

No country has even won so many Alpine events at one Winter Games.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Germany's Francesco Friedrich says bobsled track is worn out

Via AP

Olympic bobsled champion Francesco Friedrich may skip Friday’s final day of training for this weekend’s four-man event, for two reasons.

One, he may need a break.

Two, he thinks the ice needs a break as well.

Friedrich complained about the quality of the ice at the Yanqing Sliding Center after completing another day of four-man training Thursday, doing so after he posted one of the slowest times in the field — placing 25th out of 28 sleds in his final run, a massive dip from his usual spot near or at the top of the standings in most training and racing sessions.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

US men reach curling semis, keep repeat gold in play

Via AP

John Shuster told himself not to look.

Three sheets away from the Americans' final match of the Olympic curling round-robin, Norway was playing Italy. A Norwegian loss would put the reigning gold medalists in the playoffs — regardless of what they did against Denmark.

"I tried to peek over there as little as possible," Shuster said Thursday after beating the Danes 7-5 to advance to the semifinals and keep his hopes of a repeat gold medal in play.

"We knew that didn't matter," he said. "If we go out there and we lose and someone else has to win, we’re probably not going to have good momentum going into the finals anyway."

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Canada women’s hockey Holds Off USA to Win Olympic Gold Medal

Canada’s Captain Clutch, Marie-Philip Poulin, delivered at the Olympics again.

Poulin scored twice, including her third gold-medal clinching goal, and Canada reclaimed its place atop the women’s hockey world by capping its run through the Beijing Games with a 3–2 win over the defending champion United States on Thursday. -AP

Posted by Edmund DeMarche

Shiffrin again misses gate at Olympics; no individual medals

Mikaela Shiffrin came to the Beijing Olympics as one of the biggest stars of Alpine skiing -- or any sport.

She will leave without any individual medals after managing to finish just two of the five women's races.

The American stood fifth after the downhill, certainly in contention for a higher finish, but she encountered trouble after about 10 seconds, missed a gate and ended up landing on her hip. After falling, Shiffrin sat for a few moments in the snow alongside the course. When she eventually rose, she shook her head, then looked up at the hill, as though trying to figure out exactly where things went wrong. - Associated Press

Posted by Edmund DeMarche

IOC offers Olympic torches to US team as prizes while Winter Games deals with doping scandal

The U.S. figure skaters who finished in second place in the team event to the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) were reportedly offered Olympic torches as holdover gifts while the doping drama surrounding skater Kamila Valieva plays out.

Click here for the full story

Posted by Edmund DeMarche

Canada men’s ice hockey team joins Americans in shocking exit

Canada’s men’s ice hockey team joined the Americans in a shocking exit from the Beijing Winter Olympics on Wednesday after losing 2-0 to Sweden in the quarterfinal round.

It marks the first time since 2006 that neither the U.S. nor Canada made the final four at the Olympics.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

Russian Olympic skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for three heart drugs: reports

The Russian Olympic Committee’s latest doping scandal involving teen figure skater Kamila Valieva continued to unravel with reports on Tuesday revealing that the 15-year-old athlete tested positive for three different substances meant to improve heart function in a sample taken prior to her arrival in Beijing.

Documents reviewed by The New York Times revealed that the lab in Stockholm that first detected the presence of trimetazidine in her sample taken on Dec. 25 at the 2022 Russian Figure Skating Championships in Saint Petersburg, Russia, also showed evidence of two other substances not banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

According to a brief filed by the WADA, Valieva listed the substances on a doping control form: L-carnitine and Hypoxen.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

US is out of the men’s hockey tournament in Olympics

The top-seeded U.S. Hockey team lost 3-2 in a shootout Wednesday against Slovakia in the quarterfinals.

Marek Hrivik scored with 43.7 seconds left in regulation, Peter Cehlarik had the winner. The U.S. led for almost half the game before the tying goal when Slovakia pulled its goaltender for an extra attacker to play 6-on-5.

The U.S. had gotten accustomed to playing tight games in the tournament, beating Canada by two goals and Germany by one. But blown coverage in front allowed Hrivik to knock a loose puck past goalie Strauss Mann, who was impressive until that point. -With AP

Posted by Edmund DeMarche

Emotional Kamila Valieva takes the lead in women's figure skating amid doping controversy

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva took the lead in the women’s short program on Tuesday amid a whirlwind of controversy surrounding last week’s revelation that the 15-year-old tested positive for a banned drug prior to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Valieva looked emotional after her performance, advancing with a score of 82.16.

She is the overwhelming favorite for the women’s figure skating gold medal alongside Russian teammates Alexandra Trusova and Anna Shcherbakova, who are aiming for the first sweep by any nation of the women’s Olympic podium.

The top 25 skaters in Tuesday’s event will advance to the women’s free skating medal event on Thursday. An additional skater advances because of Valieva's qualification.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

Us-born Chinese freeskier Eileen Gu wins Olympics silver with wafer-thin margin

Via AP

If Eileen Gu’s latest performance is best gauged by how she came through big under pressure, or how she somehow keeps balancing three different and difficult events with the demands of her burgeoning celebrity, then her high-wire act Tuesday at the Olympicsmust have felt like a victory.

The second-place finish she "settled for" after all those harrowing trips down the slopestyle course — it was more a matter of opinion than a loss.

After the nine Olympic judges perched above the rails and jumps formed their opinions and placed numbers next to them, the U.S.-born Olympic daredevil, competing for her mother's homeland of China, found herself a scant .33 points behind the winner, Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland.

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Posted by Paulina Dedaj

All eyes on Kamila Valieva as Olympic women's figure skating begins

Via AP

Russian teenager Kamila Valieva was on the ice for a final run-through of her short program hours before one of the most-anticipated events of the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday.

Valieva looked confident and calm in a glittering purple dress, although she fell hard on a triple axel during the session.

The 15-year-old Valieva is the overwhelming favorite for the women’s figure skating gold medal alongside Russian teammates Alexandra Trusova and Anna Shcherbakova, who are aiming for the first sweep by any nation of the women’s Olympic podium.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

US women's hockey to face Canada in Olympic final

The matchup will mark the sixth time out of seven Olympics in which the U.S. and Canada have met for gold. The lone exception was the 2006 Turin Games, when Canada defeated Sweden after the Swedes eliminated the Americans in the semifinals.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

Olympic skater's entourage could face trouble under US law

Via AP

Legal troubles for the coach and others in Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva's orbit could emerge in the United States even after her doping case from the Beijing Games has been resolved.

Anti-doping experts say the episode falls under the scope of a recently enacted U.S. law that criminalizes doping schemes in events involving American athletes. The law calls for fines of up to $1 million and prison sentences of up to 10 years for those who participate in doping programs that influence international sports.

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Posted by Paulina Dedaj

US women's hockey set to play in medal round on Monday

The U.S. women's hockey team is set to play in the semifinal match at the Olympics in Beijing on Monday.

Team USA is set to face off against Finland which beat Japan 7-1 on Saturday.

A U.S. women’s hockey team has medaled in every Olympics since 1998 in Nagano, Japan

Team USA defeated the Czech Republic 4-1 at the Beijing Games on Friday.

Posted by David Aaro

US men's hockey beats Germany and makes its way to the top

Via AP

The young United States men's hockey team held on to beat Germany 3-2 Sunday night, finishing the preliminary round unbeaten and clinching the top seed in the knockout round at the Olympics. The Americans move directly into the quarterfinals and next play the lowest remaining seed from the qualification round.

Steven Kampfer scored on the power play less than three minutes after Germany took the lead, Matt Knies put the U.S. ahead and Drew Commesso made 24 saves for his second victory in as many starts. After Tom Kuhnhackl scored for Germany with 2:29 left, Nathan Smith's goal early in the third period turned out to be the game-winner.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Gold for American Erin Jackson

Erin Jackson made history when she earned a gold medal in the 500-meter speedskating event at the Winter Olympics in Beijing Sunday.

Jackson became the first Black woman to the win a speedskating medal of any kind and added to the U.S. gold medal tally. She finished with a time of 37.04 seconds. It was also the Americans’ first speedskating medal of the Beijing Olympics.

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Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Russian ski team wins Olympic relay gold

The Russian team won the 4x10-kilometer relay on Sunday in 1 hour, 54 minutes, 50.7 seconds.

Sergey Ustiugov maintained more than a minute lead on the last lap over the two-man chasing group of Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway and Maurice Manificat of France.

Norway finished in 2nd and France in 3rd.

“We tried to achieve it, and for several years we haven’t been able to," Alexey Chervotkin, who skied the first leg, said. "Today everything aligned. Everything was super. The weather seemed to be hard and there was snow but it was in our favor so everything was great.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Norwegian wins her 3rd gold medal of Beijing Olympics in biathlon

Through wind and blowing snow, Norwegian Marte Olsbu Roeiseland bested her competitors Sunday to win gold in the biathlon 10-kilometer.

The medal is her third gold of the Beijing Olympics and her 4th total.

She completed the biathlon in 34 minutes, 46.9 seconds, having gotten a head start because of her win in the sprint race. She also hit 19 of her 20 targets in the rifle-shooting portion of the race.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Ukrainian skeleton athlete won't face repercussions for 'No war in Ukraine' sign: IOC

Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych won’t face repercussions for flashing a sign that said “No war in Ukraine” after his third run Friday, the International Olympic Committee said, according to reports.

An IOC spokesperson said the committee spoke to the 23-year-old about the no politics rule at the Olympics and “he understood,” and didn’t hold up the sign on his fourth and final run.

“We all want peace,” the spokesperson said but the “field of play and podium is not the place for any kind of statement.”

Russia has amassed more than 130,000 troops at the Ukrainian border and an invasion of the country could be imminent, U.S. officials have said.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Men's giant slalom resumes after blizzard delay, US skier places 4th

The men's giant slalom resumed with the second run Sunday afternoon after a more than one-hour delay due to blizzard conditions that caused dozens of crashes, NBC News reported.

American River Radamus finished 4th and Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt won the gold.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Russia's Diana Davis mum on mom's role in Olympic doping case

Russian ice dancer Diana Davis mostly remained silent as partner Gleb Smolkin snapped at reporters Saturday night for asking about Davis' mother, embattled figure skating coach Eteri Tutberidze, and her involvement in 15-year-old Kamila Valieva's doping case.

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Posted by Daniel Canova

Another German sliding gold, as Hannah Neise wins Olympic skeleton

Via AP

Hannah Neise has never won a World Cup medal. Or a medal at the world championships. Or a medal from the European championships.

She’s got an Olympic medal now.

And it’s the one that everybody wants.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Daniel Canova

France's Papadakis, Cizeron open lead at Olympic ice dance

Via AP

Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron broke their own world record in the rhythm dance at the Beijing Olympics on Saturday night, scoring 90.83 points to give the four-time world champs from France a cushion over Russian rivals Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov heading into the free dance.

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Posted by Daniel Canova

Virgin Islands' Olympic skeleton slider celebrates journey

Via AP

Katie Tannenbaum came to the Olympics and finished last.

It didn’t upset her whatsoever.

Nor should it, considering her story: She overcome long odds to just to get to the Beijing Games.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Daniel Canova

Kelly Curtis, the 1st US Black skeleton Olympian, blazes new trail

Via AP

For Kelly Curtis, representation absolutely matters.

And in her first Olympic appearance, she became a trailblazer.

Curtis finished 21st in the women’s skeleton event, her run at the Beijing Games ending Saturday. The result isn’t why she’ll be remembered. Curtis was the first Black athlete to represent USA Skeleton at the Winter Olympics — and she hopes her presence at the Games will open more doors to her sport.

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Posted by Daniel Canova

Russian skater Kamila Valieva will have doping case heard on Sunday at Olympics

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s fate will be decided on Monday.

Valieva will find out if she can skate in the Winter Olympics women’s competition the next day after the Court of Arbitration for Sport announced on Saturday that the expedited hearing on her doping case will be held Sunday night in Beijing. The ruling will follow on Monday afternoon.

Click here to read more.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Posted by Daniel Canova

Olympic skier overcomes illness to compete for Puerto Rico

Via AP

For a teenager whose chances of survival were slim when he was born, just making it to the starting line at the Olympics is a miraculous achievement in itself.

William Flaherty will ski for Puerto Rico on Sunday in the giant slalom at the Beijing Games. Although winning a medal is not really within his reach, his health and his studies are.

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Posted by Daniel Canova

Marius Lindvik of Norway wins Olympic gold on large hill

Via AP

Marius Lindvik of Norway won Olympic gold in ski jumping on the large hill Saturday, holding off Ryoyu Kobayashi of Japan.

Lindvik jumped 140 meters (459 feet) on his final jump and earned 296.1 points overall to become the first Norwegian to win the event since Toralf Engan in 1964.

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Posted by Daniel Canova

Gao becomes 1st Chinese man to win Olympic speedskating gold

Via AP

When the last pair crossed the line, the excruciating wait finally over, Gao Tingyu was swallowed by his teammates and coaches.

Then he grabbed a Chinese flag and took off on a sprint around the infield at the Ice Ribbon, the striking red banner fluttering behind his head.

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Posted by Daniel Canova

Norwegian brothers win gold, bronze in Olympic biathlon

Via AP

The Boe brothers packed a 1-3 punch on the Olympic biathlon course.

Johannes Thingnes Boe, the younger of the Norwegian siblings, won gold Saturday in the sprint race. Older brother Tarjei Boe took bronze.

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Posted by Daniel Canova

US, Canada in different spots in men's hockey at Olympics

Via AP

Claude Julien wants his players to have short memories after Canada lost to the United States.

David Quinn hopes the same for his U.S. players now that they're one victory away from an undefeated preliminary round at the Olympics.

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Posted by Daniel Canova

Russians take Olympic gold in women's cross-country relay

Via AP

The Russian team took the lead at the start of the women's four-person relay and held on at the end to win another Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing on Saturday.

Yulia Stupak broke away early with nine women chasing. On the next leg, Natalia Nepryaeva was chased down by Katharina Hennig of Germany.

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Posted by Daniel Canova

US snowboard coach, rider being investigated for misconduct

Via AP

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is investigating allegations that longtime Olympic coach Peter Foley took naked pictures of female athletes and that Olympic snowboard racer Hagen Kearney used racist language to provoke a teammate

Former snowboardcross rider Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, a member of the 2010 Olympic team, wrote in an Instagram post that in addition to taking the photos, Foley had made inappropriate comments, and that Kearney repeatedly used the N-word to "intentionally get under my skin."

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Posted by Daniel Canova

Shiffrin said she felt 'strong and solid' in first training run for downhill, not sure if entering

U.S. skier Mikaela Shiffrin said Saturday that her first of three scheduled downhill training runs gave her a “little bit more positivity” ahead of the race on Tuesday, which she has not decided yet if she’s entering.

The two-time Olympic champion struggled in the giant slalom and slalom earlier this week, exiting quickly and disqualifying in both events.

After the disappointments, Shiffrin struggled with her frustration and said she wasn’t sure if she would compete in Friday’s super-G race, which she had never done in the Olympics but did win during the world championships in 2019. She also placed third in 2021.

She ultimately placed ninth but said the race helped put her back in a better headspace because she felt more in control than last week’s outliers.

"It felt strong and solid. And I was in a good position. It was never scary at any point and just a little bit of that exhilarating feeling,” she said, adding “I would love to race this downhill, so that’s the plan. But ... we’re going to have to see how things go as the days progress.”

She was not pushing herself to the utmost level — no reason to, for what amounts to a practice session — and her ultimately inconsequential time of 1 minute, 34.80 seconds was ninth-fastest among all 46 starters, fifth-fastest among those who didn't miss a gate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Posted by Brie Stimson

USA men's hockey beats Canada in preliminary game

The U.S. men's hockey team beat Canada 4-2 in a preliminary game Saturday with Ben Meyers, Andy Miele, Brendan Brisson and Kenny Agostino scoring goals.

The Americans are now in the driver’s seat to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.

After Miele and Brisson scored early on, Sean Farrell set up Ben Meyers to give him three assists and six points and goaltender Strauss Mann made 35 saves to help the U.S. improve to 2-0 in the preliminary round.

The team next faces Germany on Sunday.

The U.S. lost to Canada in 2010, taking the silver in Vancouver.

This year's team is the youngest in the tournament with 12 college players who proved themselves against the more experienced Canadians Saturday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Breaking News

Jacobellis, Baumgartner win gold in mixed team snowboard cross

American snowboarders Lindsey Jacobellis and Nick Baumgartner have captured the gold in the first-ever Olympic mixed team snowboard cross event Saturday.

The win was Jacobellis' second gold. She also won the snowboardcross final on Wednesday, becoming the oldest woman to win gold at the Winter Olympics.

The 2022 Games have been a redemption for her since the gold slipped through her grasp 16 years ago when she did a showboat move in the final jump at the Turin Olympics and settled for the silver.

The Italian team of Omar Visintin and Michela Moioli came in second and the Canadian duo of Eliot Grondin and Meryeta O’Dine finished third on Saturday.

Posted by Brie Stimson

American skier Mikaela Shiffrin trains for downhill amid Olympic disappointment

American alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin is preparing for the chance to compete in the women's downhill event on Tuesday after disappointing performances in the women’s slalom and giant slalom – her two best events.

“Well, guess I better hang on tight to the coaster cause we have plenty still to come,” she wrote in a post on Twitter. “First (downhill) training starts tomorrow! Sending my love to those who are feeling that striking hurt of defeat… only let it beat you down for a little bit, and then you have to stand up again and throw a few punches back.”

Shiffrin will have three days of training before deciding to enter the event on Tuesday.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

The U.S. Men's curling team beat Great Britain Friday 9-7 after a loss to Sweden.

The team, who are the defending Olympic champions, will next play Norway.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Shaun White has snowboarded his last Olympic halfpipe

Shaun White, the legendary snowboarder, got emotional in an interview Thursday after finishing in fourth place in what is expected to be his final Olympic event. White finished in fourth place in the halfpipe as he fell on the final run of a career that’s seen the American star win three Olympic titles.

He lifted up his goggles and waved to the crowd on his way down the halfpipe. He was in tears as the sparse crowd bid adieu to the 35-year-old and fellow riders lined up to hug him. White was interviewed by NBC after the event and got choked up when thanking his fans.

“Everyone at home…thank you,” he said. “Snowboarding….thank you.” He grew more emotional when the network connected him on video with his family watching from Los Angeles.

“I love you guys. I love you so much,” he said. “I wanted more today but I take what I can get. I’m proud. This has been my life. Thank you. I can’t wait to see you all.” – With AP

Posted by Eddie DeMarche

US women's hockey team advances

The U.S. women's hockey team has advanced to the semifinals and will play the winner between Finland and Japan, according to NBC.

The team beat the Czech Republic Friday 4-1 in the quarterfinal.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for banned substance, ITA confirms

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, a heavy favorite to win the women's individual competition next week, tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned substance, at a national competition prior to the Games, the International Testing Agency (ITA) said on Friday.

The controversy has led to a delay in the medal ceremony for the team competition in which Russia won and the U.S. came in second.

The agency said Friday it would fight a decision by Russia’s anti-doping agency to allow the 15-year-old Valieva to skate. The Russian agency had provisionally banned Valieva this week because she failed a doping test in December.

An expedited hearing will now determine if the figure skater is allowed to compete, the ITA said.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva appears at training session amid reports of failed drug test

Olympic figure skating sensation Kamila Valieva cracked a smile during a training session on Thursday despite being the focus of Russia's latest drug testing scandal just a day earlier.

Valieva, who is the favorite to win gold in the women’s individual event next week, skated with teammate Alexandra Trusova during a 30-minute training session but looked unfazed by the recent reports that she tested positive for a banned substance which delayed Tuesday’s medal ceremony for the team event where the Russian Olympic Committee won gold.

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Posted by Paulina Dedaj

Mikaela Shiffrin will compete in super-G, US ski team says

Despite a disappointing start in her first two races at the Beijing Olympics, skier Mikaela Shiffrin will compete in Friday's super-G race, the U.S. ski team said.

Shiffrin, a two-time Olympic gold medalist from the 2014 and 2018 Games, had high hopes thrust upon her in Beijing but quick exits while competing in the slalom and giant slalom this week left her with two disqualifications.

"I will try to reset again and maybe try to reset better this time," she told reporters after her second “did not finish” Wednesday. "But I also don’t know how to do it better, because I just don’t. I’ve never been in this position before and I don’t know how to handle it."

She had suggested Wednesday she might skip the super-G. "It would be a pleasure to ski," she told reporters, “but I also have some teammates who are really fast, and we have the athletes who can fill the spaces. So if I’m going to ski out on the fifth gate, like, what’s the point?"

The 26-year-old from Colorado never has entered a super-G at an Olympics but she did win it at the 2019 world championships.

After the super-G, Shiffrin will have three other chances to race.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Breaking News

US figure skater Nathan Chen wins gold

Nathan Chen, 22, won gold Thursday after a nearly flawless long program. He is the seventh U.S. men's skater to win the top prize at the Olympics.

Chen's 2018 Olympics medal hopes were dashed when he struggled through his short program, leaving him out of contention in Pyeongchang.

Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama and Shoma Uno won silver and bronze, respectively.

His path back to the Olympics included three straight world titles and his sixth national championship.

Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu, the two-time defending Olympic champion, came into the finals with a deficit and even if he had landed his planned quadruple axel (which has never been completed in competition) he wouldn't have been able to skate his way back to the top.

"I just had a blast out there," Chen told reporters after the medal ceremony. He said he had a sense after landing his last jump that he might have clinched the gold although he kept going over little mistakes he'd felt he'd made. "Overall, I'm just so happy. I can't even describe it ... it's just amazing."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Russian star figure skater tested positive for banned drug, local media reports

Shortly after news broke Wednesday that the IOC postponed the medals ceremony for the team figure skating competition over what it said were "legal issues," Russian media outlets reported that 15-year-old superstar Kamila Valieva tested positive for a banned drug named Trimetazidine, according to Reuters.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

IOC's Thomas Bach says 'Where is Peng Shuai?' questions have been answered after Olympic appearances

Newly retired Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has made several appearances at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics but while many in the international community still question her safety, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach believes the concern over her whereabouts has been answered.

Bach met with Peng at a dinner on Saturday, a day after the Games began. Prior to the meeting, he told reporters that his goal was "to convince us in person of her well-being and state of mind." By Wednesday, he seemed convinced.

"We were trying to answer the question everybody was asking: 'Where is Peng Shuai?' This is why we took this human-centred approach from the very beginning," Bach told reporters, via Reuters.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

Russian skater's positive drug test after winning gold in team event, delays medal ceremony: report

The International Olympic Committee delayed the medal ceremony for the team figure skating competition on Tuesday over what it said were "legal issues" but according to one report, a Russian skater has tested positive for drugs.

A source told USA Today on Wednesday that one of the six members competing for the Russian Olympic Committee has tested positive for drugs after winning gold in the three-day team event which concluded on Monday.

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, did not identify which skater turned back the positive test.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

Norwegian skier calls for ‘support’ after Mikaela Shiffrin’s second shocking Olympic exit

Norwegian alpine skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who took home the bronze medal in the men’s super-G event, voiced his support on social media Wednesday for American Mikaela Shiffrin after her shocking exit from the women’s slalom event.

“When you look at this picture you can make up so many statements, meanings and thoughts,” his post read. “Most of you probably look at it saying: ‘she has lost it,’ ‘she can’t handle the pressure’ or ‘what happened’… Which makes me frustrated, because all I see is a top athlete doing what a top athlete does!”

He continued: “It’s a part of the game and it happens. The pressure we all put on individuals in the sports are enormous, so let’s give the same amount of support back.. It’s all about the balance and we are just normal human beings!! I love you Kaela”

Shiffrin arrived in Beijing with plans to enter all five individual races at the Yanqing Alpine Skiing Center. She is now 0-for-2.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

Nathan Chen on brink of elite club of US Olympic champions

Via AP

Scott Hamilton and Brian Boitano have been waiting more than a decade for someone to join them in one of the most exclusive clubs in American figure skating: Olympicchampions.

The wait could be down to a day.

With one clean performance in Thursday's free skate, Nathan Chen will finish a four-year journey of redemption by winning his elusive Olympic gold medal at the Beijing Games. In doing so, he will become the seventh American men's skater to step atop the podium and the first since Evan Lysacek at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

Lindsey Jacobellis wins first gold for Team USA in 2022 Olympics

American snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis earned Team USA's first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday in the snowboardcross final.

The 36-year-old racer was competing in her fifth Olympics and is now the oldest U.S. woman to win a gold at the Winter Games.

The win was a redemption 16 years in the making. At the 2006 Turin Olympics, Jacobellis took a massive lead in the final jump but pulled on her board in a showboat move as she rode over the crest, then fell to take the silver.

“They can keep talking about it all they want,” Jacobellis said. “Because it really shaped me into the individual that I am. It kept me hungry and really kept me fighting in this sport.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Posted by Brie Stimson

SPORTS

Mikaela Shiffrin of US ski team gives emotional interviews after 2nd Olympic disappointment

Team USA skier Mikaela Shiffrin grew emotional in post-race interviews Wednesday when she tried to explain what happened to make her go off-course about five seconds into the slalom, her specialty event, just days after a previous bad run at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Mikaela Shiffrin gave emotional interviews Wednesday after she had her second quick exit in a race this week after going off course in the slalom.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Praise for Eileen Gu breaks Chinese social media

Via AP

Two American-born athletes competing for China. Two radically different reactions from Chinese social media to their performances at the Winter Olympics.

As freestyle skier Eileen Gu won her gold medal in the big air competition on Tuesday, praise for the San Franciscan quite literally overwhelmed the Chinese internet.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Daniel Canova

Olympic ski jumpers slam officials after 5 female skiers get disqualified over outfits

Slovenia’s win in the Olympic debut of the mixed team ski jumping event on Monday was overshadowed by a number of disqualifications over suit violations that led several outraged athletes and coaches to slam the sport’s governing body.

Five female ski jumpers, from Germany, Austria, Norway, and Japan, were all disqualified from the competition after officials said their ski suits did not comply with the International Ski Federation’s (FIS) rules.

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Posted by Paulina Dedaj

Germany's Natalie Geisenberger wins 3rd Olympic luge title

The greatest of all time. The GOAT, as the acronym goes.

In most sports, such a title is the source of great debate. Not women’s luge. Definitely not after Tuesday night, when Natalie Geisenberger of Germany became the first to win the Olympic women’s competition three times to cement her place in history as the sport’s best.

Her four-run time at the Yanqing Sliding Center was 3 minutes, 53.454 seconds — 0.493 seconds ahead of silver medalist Anna Berreiter of Germany and 1.053 seconds ahead of bronze medalist Tatiana Ivanova of the Russian team.

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Posted by Paulina Dedaj

US-born freeskier Eileen Gu dodges questions about citizenship after winning gold for China

Eileen Gu, the U.S.-born freeskier representing China in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, dodged questions about her citizenship on Tuesday after winning gold in the women's freestyle skiing big air event.

The 18-year-old Olympian, born in San Francisco, was asked several times by reporters during a press conference if she had relinquished her U.S. citizenship to compete for China. Her response, each time, avoided a direct answer.

"I’ve always been super outspoken about my gratitude to the U.S., especially the U.S. team," she said, via Sports Illustrated. "I feel as though they've helped me out so much in my development, they continue to support me. And same with the Chinese team. They've always been super supportive and they've helped me so much. And so in that sense, I think that that speaks volumes to the ability of sport to bridge the gap and to be a force for unity."

Click here to read more.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

US cross-country skier Jessie Diggins makes history

Diggins claimed her second Olympic medal after winning the bronze in the women’s sprint event on Tuesday, just 3.16 seconds behind gold medalist Jonna Sundling of Sweden.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

Canada surges to 4-2 win over US in Olympic women's hockey

Via AP

It was going to take more than a one-goal deficit to rattle Brianne Jenner and the Canadians in their long-running cross-border rivalry against the Americans, which resumed Tuesday at the Beijing Olympics.

Rather than wilt, Canada responded by scoring three times over a span of 5 minutes, 25 seconds to secure a 4-2 win over the defending champion United States, claiming the women’s hockey tournament’s top seed entering the playoff round.

"Hockey’s a game of momentum shifts, so to come out and have a strong shift regardless of if we score or not after they do, it’s huge," Jenner said. "They’re a good hockey team, they’re going make plays, but I think we answered really well tonight."

Click here to read more.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

US skier Nina O’Brien sustains compound fracture after horrifying crash during giant slalom run

American alpine racer Nina O’Brien is heading back to the U.S. after sustaining a compound fracture in her left leg following a horrifying crash during the women’s giant slalom event at the Beijing Winter Olympics on Monday.

The 24-year-old underwent an initial “stabilization procedure” at a hospital in Yanqing after sustaining a compound fracture of her left tibia and fibula when she crashed just before the finish line in her second run of the event, U.S. Ski and Snowboard said in a statement.

“Nina would like to express her gratitude to all of the people who assisted her so quickly in the finish area at the race, and especially to the doctors and nurses at the hospital who have taken such great care of her,” the statement continued.

Team USA said O’Brien will return to the U.S. for “further evaluation and care.”

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

American-born Eileen Gu of China takes home first gold of Olympics

(AP) American-born Eileen Gu of China cranked out the first 1620 of her career on her final jump, stunning Tess Ledeux of France and earning the first of what she hopes will be three gold medals at the Beijing Olympics in women's freestyle big air Tuesday.

Nicknamed the "Snow Princess," Gu is among the biggest local names in Beijing. She is a medal favorite in big air, slopestyle and halfpipe. Her first attempt at gold came down to the last round. Ledeux is the only other woman to ever land a 1620 -- 4 1/2 spins -- in competition, and she stomped one out with a slight wobble on the landing in Round 1.

Gu hinted after qualifying Monday that she might be able to match Ledeux. With everything on the line, she did.

The 18-year-old from San Francisco shrieked when she landed the jump, then dropped to her knees when her score of 94.50 was announced.

Ledeux tried to improve on her second run in Round 3, coming into the jump backward for a switch 1440.

She was shaky on the landing, though, clearing the way for Gu's gold.

Gu has gotten heat from her birth country after turning down Team USA to compete for China at the Beijing Games.

Gu's mother is from China, and though she learned to ski in California, she says her goal is to be a role model for young girls in China who have not had many female athletes to admire.

It's been a lucrative move for her, as well. Her face is on advertisements across Beijing, and her modeling career is nearly as hot as her skiing talents, with appearances for Vogue, Victoria's Secret, Louis Vitton, Tiffany and more. Swiss skier Mathilde Gremaud took bronze.

Posted by Eddie DeMarche

USA Luge's men's program looks to the future after Beijing

Via AP

USA Luge’s Chris Mazdzer had X-rays on his aching right foot a few days ago, and the results were as expected. It’s still broken.

With that, it became official: The U.S. men’s luge team was never fully healthy at any point this season.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Daniel Canova

Peng Shuai emerges at Olympics, gives controlled interview

Via AP

Nothing to see here, move on.

That was the message that Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai delivered Monday in a controlled interview in Beijing that touched on sexual assault allegations she made against a former high-ranking member of China's ruling Communist Party. Her answers — delivered in front of a Chinese Olympic official — left unanswered questions about her well-being and what exactly happened.

The interview with French sports newspaper L'Equipe and an announcement that International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach met Peng for dinner this weekend seemed aimed at allaying sustained international concerns about the three-time Olympian and former No. 1-ranked tennis doubles player. Fears for Peng's safety have threatened to overshadow the Winter Olympics underway in Beijing.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Daniel Canova

Americans off to slow start, end third day of competition with three medals

Team USA has had a slow start at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, ending the third day of competition with just three medals as the Russian Olympic Committee tops the medal count with seven pieces of hardware.

The U.S. took home the silver medal for the first time ever in the team figure skating event on Monday after back-to-back bronze finishes. Julia Marino put the Americans on the board first with her silver medal performance in the women’s slopestyle event, followed by Jaelin Kauf’s second place finish in women’s moguls.

The U.S. is tied for 12th in overall medals after day three, with Canada and the Netherlands within close reach of the Russians.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

US-born Chinese figure skater Zhu Yi breaks down in tears after falling again during team event

A rough first showing at the Beijing Winter Olympics for U.S.-born Chinese figure skater Zhu Yi continued on Monday after she fell twice during the final event in the team competition before breaking down in tears on the ice.

Zhu, who was born in California but gave up her American citizenship to compete for China in 2018, began the women’s free skate event well, landing both her first two jumps before falling on a triple-flip attempt, according to Yahoo Sports.

She took a second fall on her very next attempt.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

US figure skater Vincent Zhou out after positive COVID test

Via AP

U.S. men's figure skater Vincent Zhou has tested positive for the coronavirus, and is out of the individual competition.

In a five-minute video posted to Instagram on Monday night, a teary Zhou announced that he would have to withdraw. He had initially tested positive as part of a routine COVID-19 screening, and underwent additional testing.

The 21-year-old had struggled through a poor free skate for the eventual team silver medalists a day before, and was due to compete in the individual competition that begins with the men's short program on Tuesday.

In the video, Zhou said he had isolated to the point of crushing loneliness over the past few months in a bid to avoid the virus. He ended on a positive note, though: “This is not the end. This is a setup for a bigger comeback."

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin reacts to teammate's terrifying crash

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin expressed concern for teammate Nina O’Brien in a post on social media Monday after the American alpine skier appeared to suffer a serious leg injury after crashing just before the finish line in the women’s giant salmon event earlier.

“Today was one of the most turbulent days I have ever experienced,” Shiffrin wrote in a statement posted on Twitter. “... we’re so heartbroken of Nina O’Brien… she showed so much heart and fire in her skiing today, and it all got shredded to pieces on the final turn.”

U.S. Ski and Snowboard team said that O’Brien was “alert and responsive” after the crash and was being transported for further evaluation.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

US skier Nina O'Brien suffers horrifying crash in Olympics giant slalom event

Team USA alpine racer Nina O’Brien suffered a terrifying crash during her second run of the Women’s giant slalom event at the Beijing Winter Olympics on Monday, suffering a serious leg injury.

O’Brien, who finished the first run with the sixth-fastest time, appeared to lose her balance just before crossing the finish line.

The 24-year-old California native slid across the finish, screaming in pain, before being attended to by medical personnel. O’Brien eventually left the course on a stretcher with what appeared to be a serious left leg injury.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

Dutch star Ireen Wüst makes history with 6th Olympic title

Via AP

Ireen Wüst skated into the record books Monday at the Beijing Games, becoming the first athlete to claim individual gold medals at five different Olympics.

The 35-year-old Wüst already was the most decorated speedskater in Winter Olympic history when she added to her haul with a victory in the 1,500 meters.

That gave the Dutch star a dozen medals overall, a collection she started gathering in her debut at the 2006 Turin Games.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

Ice dancers propel US to 1st Olympic silver in teams

Madison Chock and ice dance partner Evan Bates knew what they were up against as figure skating’s team competition drew to a close at the Beijing Olympics and the American chances of a silver medal started to slip away.

"I had heard the Russians’ (score) right before we skated and I was like ‘Oh, that’s such a hefty score,’" Chock said in a dark hallway inside Capital Indoor Stadium on the third day of the medley event. "And then it was like: ‘All right. Focus.’"

Did they ever. -AP

Click here for the full story

Posted by Eddie DeMarche

Peng Shuai denies accusing high-ranking Chinese official of sexual assault

Last November, Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai took to social media and appeared to accuse a high-ranking official in the ruling Chinese Communist Party of forcing her to have sex after her repeated refusals, but she now denied ever accusing anyone of sex assault.

L’Equipe, a French newspaper, was granted a rare interview with Peng at a hotel in Beijing and asked her about her Weibo post, Reuters reported. The paper-- citing the translated text of her now-deleted post, asked her to elaborate the post that seemed as though she was claiming sexual assault.

"Sexual assault?" she asked. "I never said anyone had sexually assaulted me in any way." -Edmund DeMarche

Click here for the full story

Posted by Eddie DeMarche

Defending Olympic champ Mikaela Shiffrin out of giant slalom

Via AP

Defending Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin missed a gate early in the first run of the giant slalom at the Beijing Games on Monday and was disqualified from the event.

Coming around a left-turn gate, she lost her ski's edge and fell on her side.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Daniel Canova

China's US-born figure skater slammed on Chinese social media after botched performance

Zhu Yi, the 19-year-old U.S.-born figure skater competing for China in the Beijing Winter Olympics, was slammed on Chinese social media this weekend after her botched performance in the team event bumped China out of the top three.

Zhu, born in California, took a hard fall during her first combination attempt on Saturday, slamming into the wall before later stumbling on a triple loop attempt for a last-place finish with a 47.03 score.

"I'm upset and a little embarrassed," Zhu said after her performance, via Reuters. "I guess I felt a lot of pressure because I know everybody in China was pretty surprised with the selection for ladies' singles and I just really wanted to show them what I was able to do, but unfortunately I didn’t."

Click here to read more.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

USA women’s ice hockey shuts outs Switzerland 8-0 before rivalry game against Canada

Team USA’s women’s ice hockey team routed Switzerland 8-0 during a late Sunday night preliminary round game, improving their undefeated streak at the Beijing Games to 3-0.

The American’s looked fresh on the ice, scoring five goals on 22 shots in the first period alone, with 13 of 19 skaters finishing with at least a point apiece.

Star forward Hilary Knight, 32, scored two goals against the Swiss, recording her ninth career Olympic goal to tie Monique Lamoureux-Morando for fifth on the U.S. list. She ranks fourth in total points with 22.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

Finnish ice hockey coach accuses China of not respecting human rights with player in COVID isolation

Finland’s men’s ice hockey coach has accused China of not respecting a player’s human rights at the Winter Olympics as forward Marko Anttila remains in isolation 18 days after testing positive for COVID-19.

Jukka Jalonen took aim at the conditions the 6-foot-8, 230-pound Finnish player is under while in isolation, which he said has taken a toll on Anttila, both physically and mentally.

"He's a professional athlete and he would like to participate in team practices and games in the near future," Jalonen told media during a zoom call, via CBC News. "He's not getting great food and he's a very big guy."

Click here to read more.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

American Jaelin Kauf takes home silver medal in women’s moguls

American freestyle skier Jaelin Kauf took home Team USA’s second medal of the Beijing Winter Olympics after winning a silver medal in the women’s moguls final on Sunday night. Kauf’s second-place run is the first moguls medal for the U.S. since 2014.

She finished behind Australia’s Jakara Anthony who earned the Aussies first Winter Olympic gold medal since 2010.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

Nils van der Poel gives Sweden first speedskating gold since 1988

Via AP

Nils van der Poel gave Sweden its first Olympic speedskating medal since 1988, pulling off a stunning comeback to win gold in the 5,000 meters Sunday at the Beijing Games.

Van der Poel was a big favorite coming into the event as the reigning world champion, with an undefeated record in the distance events on this season's World Cup circuit.

The 25-year-old lived up to the hype in the 12 1/2-lap race at the Ice Ribbon oval, turning on the speed at the end to overcome Patrick Roest of the Netherlands with an Olympic record of 6 minutes, 8.84 seconds.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Paulina Dedaj

Breaking News

US snowboarder Julia Marino wins first US medal of 2022 Games

U.S. snowboarder Julia Marino won the silver in the women's slopestyle finals on Sunday, giving Team USA its first medal of the 2022 Games. New Zealand's Zoi Sadowski Synnott nabbed the country's first gold at any Winter Olympics.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Russian skier wins gold in 30K skiathlon

Russian skier Alexander Bolshunov won the 30-kilometer skiathlon on Sunday after he was able to pull away from the pack early in the race.

He finished in 1 hour, 16 minutes, 9.8 seconds.

Bolshunov is the World Cup leader in distance races.

Russian Denis Spitsov won the silver and Iivo Niskanen of Finland, who was a little over three minutes behind Bolshunov, held on for the bronze.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Men's downhill skiing delayed by wind

Men's downhill skiing was delayed Sunday by wind gusts up to 40 mph.

“The wind here is a big, big challenge. And it's a pity, because you have good weather, you have good snow, you have a perfect slope,” Norwegian skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde said He leads the World Cup downhill and super-G standings and was fastest in Friday's second training session. “We just have to stay patient and do the best.”

No new date has been announced.

The first women's race is scheduled to start on Monday.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Developing Story

Mikaela Shiffrin, skating and snowboarding highlight Day 2

Mikaela Shiffrin's first event of the Beijing Olympics is the one she won four years ago.

The American star is set to defend her title in the giant slalom, which will be part of prime-time coverage of the Winter Games on Sunday on NBC — although anyone who wants to watch to the end should plan on being up late. The second of the two giant slalom runs is scheduled to start after midnight Eastern time.

The team figure skating competition also wraps up Sunday night, and the men's slopestyle snowboarding final could be another highlight in the U.S. after Red Gerard won that event in 2018.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

US hockey star Brianna Decker gives update on health

After suffering a serious leg injury during Team USA's win over Finland, women's hockey star Brianna Decker provided an update on Twitter about her health.

"I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has reached out to me over the last few days. The outreach has been more than incredible and I am truly thankful for each and every text, email, tweet, DM and phone call. I wish I could answer each and every one of you individually and and know that the road to recovery has already begun due to their friendship and the significant love we share as a team. I am excited to remain here with the team and help any imaginable way to help to accomplish the original goal what we have set out to achieve!" she tweeted.

"Thank you to my family here and back home in the USA, and thank you to the fans across the globe cheering us on. We can hear your cheers echoing throughout Beijing. Hand me a clipboard, it’s time to get back to work with my girls. Let’s go USA!"

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Golden start to the Games

The first medal rounds of the 2022 Winter Olympics are over with at least five countries receiving gold medals in their events.

Norway, Slovenia, China, the Netherlands, and Sweden each have at least one gold medal. Norway finished Saturday’s competitions with two gold medals – the only country so far to have multiple golds.

Here’s how the standings look after the first medal round.

(Order Gold-Silver-Bronze)

1. Norway 2 total (2-0-0)

1. Slovenia 2 total (1-0-1)

1. Italy 2 total (0-2-0)

1. Canada 2 total (0-1-1)

1. ROC 2 total (0-1-1)

6. China 1 total (1-0-0)

6. Netherlands 1 total (1-0-0)

6. Sweden 1 total (1-0-0)

6. France 1 total (0-1-0)

6. Germany 1 total (0-1-0)

6. Austria 1 total (0-0-1)

6. Hungary 1 total (0-0-1)

6. Japan 1 total (0-0-1)

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

More on China's gold medal win

Via AP

China won its first gold medal of the Beijing Games, emerging victorious Saturday in short track speedskating's mixed team relay in the event’s Olympic debut.

Wu Dajing edged Pietro Sighel of Italy by .016 seconds — or half a skate blade — to claim gold. Hungary earned bronze.

Qu Chunyu, Fan Kexin and Ren Ziwei joined Wu for the historic victory. The small number of Chinese fans at Capital Indoor Arena cheered and waved tiny flags.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

New 'king' of men's moguls

Via AP

Walter Wallberg of Sweden upset "The King" to take home the gold medal in the men’s moguls at the Beijing Olympics.

Wallberg looked almost in shock when his score of 83.23 flashed on the board, edging defending Olympic champion Mikael Kingsbury of Canada on a bitterly cold Saturday night.

Wallberg picked up points for his speed over the smooth and technical skiing style of Kingsbury, whose nickname is the "King of Moguls."

Now, there's a new king of the hill.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Breaking News

China wins first gold medal

China picked up its first gold medal of the 2022 Winter Olympics on Saturday.

The team finished first in short track speedskating’s mixed team relay. The event made its debut and yielded its first medalists.

China finished with a time of 2:38.348.Italy won silver and Hungary finished with bronze.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Slovenia's Ursa Bogataj soars past competition

Via AP

Slovenia's Ursa Bogataj won Olympic gold in women's ski jumping on a night when Japanese star Sara Takanashi surprisingly finished out of the medals.

Bogataj floated 100 meters (328.084 feet) through the air and had 121 points on the final jump Saturday. Katharina Althaus of Germany won silver for the second straight Olympics. Nika Kriznar of Slovenia took the bronze.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Nathan Chen dazzles in his return

Via AP

Nathan Chen stood in the middle of the Olympic rink, bent his arm over his chest and gave a slight bow to the judges, then briskly skated away following his short program during the team competition at the Winter Games.

He might as well have said, "Aw, shucks."

Yet the way the typically reserved Chen felt after Friday's soaring performance at Capital Indoor Arena, and the way the 22-year-old American felt four years ago in Pyeongchang, was about as different as an axel and a lutz.

He was perfect in Beijing: His massive, opening quad flip to "La Bohème" seemed almost to reach the rafters, his often troublesome triple axel was faultless and the harrowing quad lutz-triple toe loop combination in the middle of the program left him with the second-highest short program score ever in international competition.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Norway takes Olympic gold in 3-way sprint in biathlon relay

Via AP

Johannes Thingnes Boe of Norway moved ahead of his French and Russian rivals in the final meters of the mixed relay to take gold Saturday in the first biathlon race of the Beijing Olympics.

Boe, Quentin Fillon Maillet of France and Eduard Latypov of the Russian team left the range close together after the last round of shooting and raced for position until the final stretch, when Boe sprinted for the win.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Breaking News

Shaun White makes decision on Olympics future

Shaun White said Saturday the 2022 Beijing Games will be his final Olympic competition.

White, 35, made the announcement ahead of the snowboarding competitions where he’ll be making his runs next week. He had been dealing with knee, back and ankle issues ahead of this year’s Olympics. He also had to deal with COVID-19.

"In my mind, I've decided this will be my last competition," White said.

"A sad and surreal moment. But joyous, as well. I kind of reflected on things I've done and looked at the sun going down and went, ‘Wow, next time I’m here, I won't be stressed about learning tricks or worried about some competition thing," White added.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Norwegian cross-country skier wins first gold of Olympics

Norwegian cross-county skier Therese Johaug won the first gold medal at the Games Saturday in the women's 15-kilometer skiathlon.

The skiathlon was a mass-start race that began with 7.5 kilometers of classic skiing. After striding two laps around the 3.75-kilometer course, racers came through the stadium and quickly switched to skate skis before heading out for another two laps.

The medal is her first individual Olympic gold.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Speed skater Schouten wins gold for Netherlands on Saturday

Dutch speed skater Irene Schouten won gold on Saturday in the 3000 meters. Schouten broke a 20-year Olympic record.

Skating in the last of 10 pairs, Schouten turned in a blazing final lap to post a winning time of 3 minutes, 56.93 seconds. The previous record was 3:57.70 from 2002.

Posted by Brie Stimson

Putin's appearance at Winter Olympics' opening ceremony draws reaction

Social media users are speculating as to whether Russian President Vladimir Putin had fallen asleep during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing after he was seen on camera with his eyes closed.

Putin could be seen on camera during NBC’s broadcast of the winter games sitting by himself and appearing to briefly doze off according to some onlookers.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Team USA makes an entrance

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Medal events set for Saturday

The first 2022 Winter Olympics medals will be awarded Saturday. There are six sports that will yield medalists.

Women’s 3000-meter speed skating

Biathlon mixed relay

Short track mixed relay

Freestyle skiing men’s moguls

Alpine skiing men’s downhill

Men’s snowboarding slopestyle

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Olympic flame reaches Beijing

The Winter Olympics are officially open

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

IOC's Thomas Bach speaks in Beijing

Via AP

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has spoken at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games, thanking those around the globe who he says have gone “beyond the call of duty” to make the events happen as a global pandemic continues raging.

Bach also addressed the athletes of the Beijing Games directly, saying: “Dear fellow Olympians, your Olympic stage is set. You have arrived here after overcoming so many challenges. ... But now your moment has come, the moment you have been longing for, the moment we all have been longing for. Now your Olympic dream is coming true.”

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Mikaela Shiffrin in the ‘Olympic spirit’

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Team USA takes part in the opening ceremony

Team USA follows Bulgaria in the opening ceremony.

Curling star John Shuster and speed skater Brittany Bowe hold the U.S. flag. It's the second largest delegation in Team USA history.

Click here for the complete roster.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Who are the Team USA flag bearers?

Olympic bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor and curler John Shuster were named the flag bearers for Team USA. However, Meyers Taylor will be unable to attend Friday's opening ceremonies because she tested positive for COVID-19. Speed skater Brittany Bowe will replace her.

The flag bearers were revealed earlier this week.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Team Canada explains the pecking order at the opening ceremony

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Olympic athletes start marching

Greece leads the opening ceremony as athletes start to pour into National Stadium.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

China's President Xi Jinping arrives for the opening ceremony

Chinese President Xi Jinping, bottom second from right, waves as he arrives for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics. - via AP

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Light show brightens the Games

Dancers perform during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

What to know about the Games?

The Beijing Winter Olympics have begun just a few months after the Summer Olympics ended in Tokyo.

The Winter Games will be held in China for the first time. The previous Games had been held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018 and Sochi, Russia, in 2014. Beijing is set to be the first city to host the Winter and Summer Olympics.

Click here to read more about 2022 Games.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

World leaders make their way to Beijing

Via AP

The U.S., Britain and a handful of others aren’t sending dignitaries to the Beijing Winter Games as part of a diplomatic boycott, but the Chinese capital is still attracting an array of world leaders for Friday’s opening ceremony.

Click here to read about who's coming, who's not and why.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Tibetans in India demonstrate against Beijing Olympics

Via AP

Hundreds of Tibetan exiles marched near the Chinese Embassy in the Indian capital of New Delhi on Friday and held a protest rally while denouncing the Beijing Winter Olympics and demanding freedom for their region.

The protesters waved Tibetan flags and held placards bearing messages like "No Rights, No Games" and "Say No To Genocide Games." They demanded that China leave Tibet and implored the international community to stand up against Beijing.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Putin, Xi meet in Beijing prior to opening ceremony for Olympics

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Beijing in a show of unity prior to the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in the country.

The meeting comes at a time where the two countries move closer to each other in the face of what they see as Western aggression in Eastern Europe and Asia.

Putin has over 100,000 troops deployed to the border with Ukraine and Beijing has been increasing the amount off sorties to Taiwanese airspace.

Putin praised Moscow’s relationship with Beijing as “dignified.”

“We are working together to bring to life true multilateralism,” Xi told Putin, according to the New York Times. “Defending the real spirit of democracy serves as a reliable foundation for uniting the world in overcoming crises and defending equality.”

The paper pointed out that Putin will also attend the opening ceremony, which President Biden has boycotted.

Katrina Yu, a reporter for Al Jazeera, said the meeting does not necessarily mean Beijing would “welcome any potential attack on Ukraine,” and pointed out its own close relationship with Kyiv. She pointed out that China has indicated that it would support Russia if the U.S. imposed new sanctions in the event of an attack.

Putin said the relationship between the countries are "developing in a progressive way with a spirit of friendship and strategic partnership. They have indeed become unprecedented. It’s an example of dignified relations that support mutual development.” -Edmund DeMarche and AP

Posted by Eddie DeMarche

Nathan Chen, US lead team figure skating at Beijing Olympics

Via AP

It was supposed to be a foregone conclusion that Russia’s powerful stable of figure skaters, including world champions in three of the four disciplines, would run away the team gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.

Nathan Chen and the rest of the Americans must have taken exception.The three-time world champ’s winning short program set the tone for Team USA on Friday, and everyone else followed suit.

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue won the rhythm dance with a season-best score, and Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier capped the first of three days of team competition with a personal-best short program.That left the Americans with 28 points, two head of the Russians and seven ahead of third-place China.

Posted by Eddie DeMarche

White House shows support for Team USA as Winter Olympics get set to officially open

The White House has been illuminated in red, white, and blue Thursday night in support of athletes traveling to China for the Olympic Games.

In years past, the White House has been illuminated in several colors to mark different occasions, either in celebration of holidays, to raise awareness, or to celebrate America.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

US hockey star Brianna Decker out of Olympics after nasty leg injury

U.S. women’s hockey star Brianna Decker was stretchered off the ice on Thursday after suffering an apparent severe leg injury in the team’s opening game at the Beijing Olympics.

Decker screamed in pain following a trip from Finland’s Ronja Savolainen in the first period. Savolainen hooked her leg around Decker’s leg and the two fell to the ice. The Finnish player landed on Decker.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

India to skip Winter Olympics opening ceremony

Via AP

India will not attend Friday's opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, after one of the torchbearers reportedly chosen by Chinese authorities riled up New Delhi's anger.

India's foreign affairs spokesman Arindam Bagchi on Thursday said it was "regrettable that the Chinese side has chosen to politicize an event like the Olympics."

Click here to read more.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

IOC chief to meet Peng Shuai

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach announced plans Thursday to meet with Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai amid heightened concern for her safety, adding that the IOC will "support" an inquiry to allegations of sexual assualt if she decides to pursue one.

Bach told reporters during a news conference ahead of the Beijing Olympics this week that he plans to meet with Peng in the "closed loop," the bubble that separates accredited personnel from the Chinese public, to confirm her safety.

Click here to read more.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Czech Republic tops China in Olympic women's hockey debut

Via AP

Michaela Pejzlova scored on a breakaway with 13:33 left in the third period, and the Czech Republic capped its women’s hockey Olympic debut with a 3-1 win over host China at the Beijing Games on Thursday.

Tereza Radova became her nation’s first female to score in the Olympics by redirecting defender Aneta Tejralova’s pass into the slot to open the scoring 10:38 into a game the Czech Republic never trailed. Denisa Krizova also scored and Klara Peslarova stopped 13 shots in a Group B preliminary round game to open the tournament a day before the opening ceremony.

China was out-shot 36-14 in its fourth Olympic appearance, and first since finishing seventh of eight teams at the 2010 Vancouver Games. Mi Le scored and Canadian-born goalie Tiya Chen stopped 33 shots for a Chinese national team made up of mostly members of the Russian-based Women’s Hockey League's Vanke Rays.

Click here for more.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Timothy LeDuc to become 1st openly nonbinary US Winter Games athlete

Adam Rippon delivered one of those quintessential Olympic moments four years ago in Pyeongchang, when his dazzling free skate helped to clinch the bronze medal for the U.S. in the team event to begin the figure skating program.

Not only did Rippon leave fans breathless, he became the first openly gay American to medal at the Winter Games.

Timothy LeDuc wants to do the same for U.S. athletes that identify as nonbinary. -AP

Click here to read more.

Posted by Eddie DeMarche

26 new COVID-19 cases reported among athletes

Olympic officials in Beijing on Thursday announced that 26 athletes have tested positive for COVID-19—including 13 who were found on arrival to the country, the Associated Press reported.

The report said 55 people in total tested positive out of 68,000 tests. A total of 287 COVID-19 cases have been recorded since Jan. 23.Those people were put into isolation.

The IOC said Wednesday at least 11 people have been treated at a hospital but none were serious cases. –The Associated Press contributed to this report

Posted by Eddie DeMarche

US flag bearers revealed

Team USA on Wednesday revealed who would be carrying the American flag during the opening ceremonies in Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Olympic bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor and curler John Shuster were named the flag bearers for Team USA. However, Meyers Taylor will be unable to attend Friday's opening ceremonies because she tested positive for COVID-19. Speed skater Brittany Bowe will replace her.

Click here for more.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Nike won't say where Team USA's podium uniforms made

Team USA Olympians and Paralympians will be sporting Nike apparel on the winner’s podium at the Beijing Winter Games this month, but the company is staying tight-lipped on where in the world the uniforms were manufactured.

Team USA and Nike last week unveiled the medal stand uniforms, which include light-blue hooded jackets and dark blue pants. The jackets have a Paralympic or Olympic patch on the left side, a Nike Swoosh on the right, and a vertical American flag and "USA" on the back.

Nike has promoted its use of recycled and sustainable materials to make the outfits, but won’t say where they were made. Multiple requests by Fox News Digital inquiring where the outfits are being manufactured went unreturned. When reached by phone, a Nike spokeswoman instructed Fox News Digital to inquire via email, which was not returned.

Team USA is ready

The U.S. Olympics and Paralympic Committee announced its 222-member team that will represent the Stars and Stripes at the Winter Games in China.

The Olympic competitions are set to begin on Feb. 3 with the opening ceremony on Feb. 4. The competition ends Feb. 20.

"The Olympic Games showcases the best of humanity and sport competition, and Beijing 2022 will be no different. The 222 incredible athletes who make up Team USA are not only ready to compete, but they are ready to make this country proud," USOPC CEO Sarah Hirschland said in a news release.

"The USOPC and the National Governing Bodies are committed to taking every step to keep our athletes safe, supported and championed as they live out their sporting dreams."

Click here to see the full Team USA roster.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos

Beijing Olympics is here

The Winter Games will be held in China for the first time. The previous Games were held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018 and Sochi, Russia, in 2014. Beijing is set to be the first city to host the Winter and Summer Olympics.

In 2018, Norway finished with the most medals (39). Norway also tied for the most goals with Germany at 14. The U.S. finished with nine gold, eight silver and six bronze medals for a grand total of 23. The U.S. finished fourth overall in gold medal and total medal tallies.

Click here to read what else you need to know about the Games.

Posted by Ryan Gaydos