Winter Olympics LIVE: Team GB face ROC in must-win curling tie; women’s ski cross final

Key points

• Team GB face ROC in must-win curling tie
• Gu roars through halfpipe qualifiers towards three-medal goal
• Canada win gold in women’s ice hockey
• Valieva to take to Olympic ice once more amid doping scandal

Team GB face ROC in must-win curling tie

07:53 , Tom Kershaw

As it stands, though, victory here for GB still won’t be enough. There are dozens of different permutations to decide who will go into the playoffs but Eve Muirhead’s side desperately wanted Denmark to defeat Canada. That feels very unlikely now with the Canadians boasting a strong lead.

• Denmark 3-8 Canada
• Japan 2-5 Switzerland
• South Korea 3-2 Sweden

Team GB face ROC in must-win curling tie

07:50 , Tom Kershaw

A huge let-off for Team GB. Russia had the hammer and, although Muirhead leaves her final stone on the bullseye, Russia are still lying second closest. That means the ROC only needed to bump Muirhead’s stone out of contention, thereby leaving theirs on the bullseye, to score two points and put the match back on even keel. Instead, the ROC clip one of their own guard stones and miss Muirhead’s entirely. GB take a point from the end and now lead 5-2.

Women’s ski cross final

07:39 , Tom Kershaw

There’s controversy as the racers are forced to wait in the cold for several minutes as the referee reviews the incident where Smith’s leg sticks out and inadvertently blocks Meyer from overtaking. All those in attendance, including Meyer herself, believe it was an accidental move to avoid Smith clipping Thompson’s skis in front but the referee thinks otherwise. Smith is DQ’d and Meyer is elevated to bronze. Smith shakes her head in disbelief and Meyer very sportingly is saying that’s the wrong decision too.

Women’s ski cross final

07:28 , Tom Kershaw

Näslund takes gold! She surged into an early lead yet again but Smith stayed right with her. Twice she attempted to overtake but both times Näslund successfully closed off the gap. Smith lost pace when those moves failed and Thompson storms through on the inside. Meyer tries to take the same route but Smith sticks a leg out slightly and clings onto bronze.

Women’s ski cross final

07:23 , Tom Kershaw

So, here we go! It’s the final of the women’s ski cross. Can Sandra Näslund maintain her dominance?

Team GB face ROC in must-win curling tie

07:21 , Tom Kershaw

Alina Kovaleva with a great final stone in the fifth end. GB had been lying two but Russia make good use of the hammer, curling down the left edge of the sheet and benefitting from a somewhat fortunate plant. ROC take one point to stay within reach. It’s now Great Britain 3-2 ROC.

Women’s ski cross semi-finals

07:13 , Tom Kershaw

What a spectacular finish! Just 0.06s separates the first three of the four finishers. Fanny Smith had led the race seamlessly the entire way but then catches an edge on her final jump and almost falls. Daniela Meyer was seemingly out of it but surged back at the finish and, with Brittany Phelan cut off ever so slightly by Smith’s stumble, the German snatches second place in a photo finish.

Women’s ski cross semi-finals

07:06 , Tom Kershaw

A dominant race from Näslund. She took an immediate lead straight out of the gate and, although Marielle Thompson was able to stay just about within reach, she never looked like threatening to overtake. They both go through to the final. Hoffos and Schmidt were left way behind.

Women’s ski cross semi-finals

07:01 , Tom Kershaw

The semi-finals will follow shortly and the world No 1 seed Sandra Näslund is up against three Canadians: Courtney Hoffos, Marielle Thompson and Hannah Schmidt.

Gisin defends gold medal

06:58 , Tom Kershaw

Switzerland’s Michelle Gisin has successfully defended the gold medal she won in Pyeongchang! In the women’s alpine combined event, Gisin only managed a 12th-placed finish in the downhill, but a brilliant slalom run has propelled her to glory ahead of compatriot Wendy Holdener.

There was no joy for Mikaela Shiffrin, who had been in medal contention after the downhill but crashed out on the slalom.

Women’s ski cross quarter-finals

06:53 , Tom Kershaw

Sami Kennedy-Sim wins the next quarter-final in a race that featured plenty of argy-bargy. The Australian snuck into the lead as the leading pair jostled. But after losing so much ground in that early battle, Daniela Maier fights back to snatch second place after the final jump to advance to the semi-finals.

Women’s ski cross quarter-finals

06:49 , Tom Kershaw

Elsewhere, the women’s ski cross quarter-finals are underway in Beijing. The high-octane event features a series of jumps on a downhill course. Marielle Thompson and Hannah Schmidt finish one-two to secure their place in the semi-finals.

Team GB face ROC in must-win curling tie

06:40 , Tom Kershaw

A shakier end from Team GB as Vicky Wright struggles to read the pace of the ice. Muirhead limits the damage though with another fine shot. Russia have the hammer and the stone lying closest, but the bullseye is very congested and they can’t squeeze their final stone through the gap. It’s just the one point and Team GB lead 2-1.

Canada defeat USA to take ice hockey gold

06:28 , Tom Kershaw

Canada win gold in the women’s ice hockey! It was a nervy end after Amanda Kessel scored for the USA in the final minute, but the Canadians held on to their 3-2 victory. That’s the fifth time they’ve won the event in the last seven Games.

Team GB face ROC in must-win curling tie

06:24 , Tom Kershaw

Eve Muirhead’s rink need to defeat the ROC in this final round robin match in order to have any chance of qualifying for the playoffs. They will then still need to hope results elsewhere fall their way.

Team GB have made the perfect start, though, after having the hammer in the opening end. An excellent shot from Muirhead gives her rink a lead of two.

Flying Finn decks camera operator in halfpipe mishap

06:02 , Namita Singh

Finnish freestyle skier Jon Sallinen sent a camera operator flying during his first run in halfpipe qualifying after misjudging one of his tricks.

Sallinen was halfway through his run when he lost control on the left lip of the pipe, soaring over the edge and clipping the camera to send the operator crashing to the snow.

Sallinen dropped back into the pipe to complete his run and the judges were very unimpressed, giving him a score of 18 out of 100, and the camera operator was soon back up on their feet again as qualifying continued.

© Provided by The Independent
Jon Sallinen of Team Finland crashes into a cameraman on his first run during the Men’s Freestyle Skiing Freeski Halfpipe Qualification (Getty Images)

05:59 , Namita Singh

American Mikaela Shiffrin borrowed Sofia Goggia’s skis for the downhill leg of Thursday’s combined competition at the Beijing Games and said she “almost started crying” at the message left by the Italian.

Goggia, who won downhill gold in Pyeongchang and earned silver behind Switzerland’s Corinne Suter in Wednesday’s downhill, shares the same ski manufacturer as the American.

The American said the skis were the same ones that Goggia has been using at Beijing and that in the starting hut she spotted a note placed on them.

“She actually wrote a small message on them, on a sticky note, I saw it in the start and I almost started crying, because it was ‘You can Fly on these skis’ or something,” Shiffrin said.

“One thing that can you be sure about is that Sofia is winning … she has incredible skis. I am thankful I was able to get a feeling on those and just trying to fly as best I could,” the American said.

“FLY MIKA, YOU CAN.”

Mikaela Shiffrin found an inspirational note on Sofia Goggia’s skis when she wore them in the downhill. 💕🥺

📷 @usskiteam #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/rCkOd2B9Dq

— Olympics (@Olympics)

February 17, 2022

Weather forces schedule change for women’s mass start

05:47 , Namita Singh

Weather conditions at China’s National Biathlon Centre have forced the International Biathlon Union (IBU) to reschedule the final women’s race of the Beijing Olympics, moving it from Saturday to Friday.

“Due to anticipated low temperatures and strong wind, the women’s mass start event is re-scheduled (advanced) to Friday at 1500 (3 pm),” the IBU announced on the official Olympic February 2022 information channel.

The men’s mass start race is scheduled to begin at 5 pm local time on Friday, bringing the biathlon competitions at the Games to a close a day earlier than planned.

US and Canada meet once again in Olympic gold medal final

04:36 , Namita Singh

The face-off between the biggest rivals in international women’s ice hockey is underway as Team USA and Canada once again meet each other in the women’s Olympic gold medal final.

The two have competed against each other in six of seven Olympic finals since the women’s tournament made its debut in 1998. For Canada, securing a win would be sweet revenge for the loss they suffered in the 2018 PyeongChang Games.

The US will be aiming to improve their stats against their North American neighbour, having lost three of their five Olympic gold medal matches.

The rivalry continues tonight. 🇨🇦

Read about the historic rivalry here ➡ https://t.co/IS5TJyhDxG pic.twitter.com/aYB14kd2eB

— Team Canada (@TeamCanada)

February 17, 2022

Valieva to take to Olympic ice once more amid doping scandal

04:04 , Namita Singh

Kamila Valieva aims for the top step of a podium she may never see when the Russian figure skating star, now at the center of the latest Olympic doping scandal, concludes her competition Thursday night with the women’s free skate at the Beijing Games.

The International Olympic Committee already has said there will be no flower ceremony if Valieva places among the top three finishers, creating an awkward feeling of open-endedness when the event wraps up. There also will be no medal ceremony for the figure skaters because the IOC fears that Valieva someday could be stripped of hers.

“There will be an asterisk against the results, because they will be preliminary obviously pending the investigation,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. “Would we prefer not to have all this going on? Absolutely.”

© Provided by The Independent
Kamila Valieva of Team ROC skates during the Women Single Skating Short Program on day eleven of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games (Getty Images)

Defending champions USA into curling semis

04:00 , Namita Singh

John Shuster and his Team USA curlers have just beaten Denmark 7-5 in a closely fought game, landing themselves a spot in the semi-finals as the fourth seed. They will regroup later in the day to face Team GB, as they chase a spot on the podium.

Meanwhile, the British curlers are leading the round robin and beat Canada 5-2 in the final session today, while Switzerland won against Sweden 10-8.

Despite these defeats, both Sweden and Canada qualified for the semi-finals.

.@TeamUSA advances!@TeamShuster defeats Denmark to advance to the semifinals where they will face Great Britain Thursday at 7AM on @PeacockTV.#WinterOlympics \ #WatchWithUS \ @USACurl pic.twitter.com/JAdf8jsNdy

— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics)

February 17, 2022

Gu roars through halfpipe qualifiers towards three-medal goal

03:45 , Namita Singh

China’s home favourite Eileen Gu blazed through women’s freeski halfpipe qualifiers, moving a step closer to her goal of winning three medals at her maiden Olympic Games.

Gu made two confident runs, earning a top score of 95.50 after landing back-to-back 900s with mid-air grabs in her second try. With her spot in the final virtually assured, Gu waved her ski poles and smiled widely at the camera after her run.

“I actually didn’t have a lot of time for training but I’m satisfied today,” Gu told reporters, adding later that she hadn’t had a day of rest since the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games.

Despite that, Gu was in good spirits.

“I feel really good,” she said.

© Provided by The Independent
Ailing Eileen Gu of Team China looks on during the Women’s Freestyle Skiing Freeski Halfpipe Qualification on day 13 (Getty Images)

Shiffrin completes first leg of Alpine combines

03:40 , Namita Singh

Two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin made it through the downhill leg of the Alpine combined and will get a chance to go for a medal in the slalom run.

Shiffrin went ninth out of 26 skiers on the downhill portion of the two-run event Thursday.

The American’s time of 1 minute, 32.98 seconds has her in fifth place of 12 skiers.

Shiffrin is 0.56 seconds behind current leader Christine Scheyer of Austria.

© Provided by The Independent
Mikaela Shiffrin of Team United States reacts following her run during the Women’s Alpine Combined Downhill on day 13 (Getty Images)

Gu leads halfpipe qualification run

03:14 , Namita Singh

Eileen Gu improved her best score to 95.5 in the second qualification run of the freeski halfpipe event, meaning she will qualify for the finals ahead of the pack.

Canada’s Rachael Karker, who scored 89.50, retained her second spot, while Kelly Sildaru did not start the second run. She nonetheless retained the third spot, as other athletes failed to outdo the score of 87.50 that she earned in the first run.

Zoe Atkin of Team GB also qualified for the finals, and was placed fourth.

A picture-perfect run for Eileen Gu!

A 95.50 in her second qualifying run in the women’s halfpipe. #WinterOlympics

📺 : @USA_Network and @peacockTV

💻 : https://t.co/DaRR18atEa pic.twitter.com/BjZyRIsP3n

— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics)

February 17, 2022

Nations at odds, but Olympians find time for a hug

03:11 , Namita Singh

In idealistic terms, the Olympics are a time for nations to cast aside politics and conflict. This year’s Beijing Games, against a backdrop of human rights concerns and the latest Russian doping scandal, have challenged those values.

And yet there are occasional hints that the Olympic spirit lives on.

Perhaps none of these has been more poignant than the embrace shared Wednesday night between Russian and Ukrainian athletes at the freestyle skiing mean’s aerial final.

Photographers captured the playful moments between bronze medal winner Ilia Burov, of the Russian Olympic Committee and silver medalist Oleksandr Abramenko of Ukraine.

With Russia’s troop buildup along its border with Ukraine fueling global fears of an imminent invasion, a celebratory moment between two friends takes on added symbolism.

© Provided by The Independent
Bronze medallist Ilia Burov of Team ROC and Silver medallist Oleksandr Abramenko of Team Ukraine react during the Men’s Freestyle Skiing Aerials Final on day 12 (Getty Images)

On the slopes, a struggle for Black skiers’ Olympic dreams

02:51 , Namita Singh

The US Alpine skiing team in Beijing is entirely white. The US snowboarders and freestyle skiers include Asian American riders, but none who are Black or Hispanic.

“It’s incredibly unfortunate,” said Ryan Cochran-Siegle, an American silver medalist in super-G at Beijing.

“We all want to figure out ways to close those gaps between different minorities and their access to skiing.”

The past and present of the alpine sports are both working against that goal. White and elitist, they were born in the mountains of Europe, and are flourishing for the most part in mountain communities without a lot of racial or ethnic diversity.

Read the full report here:

© Provided by The Independent

On the slopes, a struggle for Black skiers’ Olympic dreams

Eileen Gu leads after first run

02:23 , Namita Singh

Eileen Gu, who is aiming to win a third medal for China, is leading the halfpipe qualifications after the first run. She earned the best score of 93.75.

Rachael Karker of Canada is second and Kelly Sildaru of Estonia is third.

Only 12 of 20 athletes will advance to the final, to compete for the podium.

Can Ailing (Eileen) Gu win a third medal at #Beijing2022? 👀

She currently leads the #FreestyleSkiing Halfpipe qualifiers. Finals will be tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/dbw5VfUXgw

— Olympics (@Olympics)

February 17, 2022

US snowboarder Julia Marino pulls out of Winter Olympics after Prada board dispute

01:34 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: Snowboarder Julia Marino has withdrawn from the Winter Olympics one week after winning a silver medal for the United States, having been threatened with disqualification due to a Prada logo on her board.

Marino took silver in snowboard slopestyle in Beijing last week but pulled out of Monday’s big air qualifier, citing the logo dispute with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and an injury she suffered after falling in practice.

© Provided by The Independent

US snowboarder pulls out of Winter Olympics after Prada board dispute