Beijing 2022: Winter Olympics round up
Vincent Zhou, the second ranked American male skater behind Nathan Chan has tested positive for Covid-19 and will now be forced to miss the individual event on Tuesday.
Zhou, 21, helped the US secure a silver medal in the team event and was set to compete in the individual short programme when he was given the devastating news.
“It seems pretty unreal that of all the people, it would happen to myself,” he said in an emotional Instagram video after being told ofthe positive test.
Meanwhile, Deedra Irwin of Pulaski, Wisconsin, gave the best ever Olympic performance by an American in the biathlon, finishing seventh in the women’s 15km individual event at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre northwest of Beijing.
“I was trying to focus on just working on everything I’ve worked on this week, really skiing the course well and staying calm on the range and being ready for anything — with wind or whatever,” said Irwin, who is competing in her first Olympic Winter Games.
Deedra Irwin makes history for US in biathlon
Deedra Irwin made history for Team USA as she gavethe best ever Winter Olympic performance by an American, finishing seventh in the women’s 15-kilometer individual event at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre northwest of Beijing.
“I was trying to focus on just working on everything I’ve worked on this week, really skiing the course well and staying calm on the range and being ready for anything — with wind or whatever,” said Irwin, who is competing in her first Olympic Winter Games. “I had a good game plan, and I was able to execute it. Everything came together. I had no idea how I was doing, and I was just in my zone, and it worked — what the heck.”
Irwin finished the event just 1 minute and 14 seconds behind gold medalist Denise Herrmann of Germany.
Anais Chevalier-Bouchet of France won the silver medal, and Norway’s Marte Olsbu Roeiseland took home the bronze medal.
Graeme Massie7 February 2022 18:35
Team USA skier Nina O’Brien recovering from harrowing crash near finish line of giant slalom race
Team USA skier Nina O’Brien suffered a harrowing crash while competing in the women’s giant slalom race – one of the most dangerous events at the Winter Olympics.
Ms O’Brien, 24, was on her second run in Beijing on Monday when she came in contact with the penultimate gate and careened out of control, her skis coming off as she slid across the finish line.
Onlookers held their breath as the medal contender – who was in sixth place after her first run – was carted away on a stretcher.
Megan Sheets has all the details.
Graeme Massie7 February 2022 18:25
Shiffrin says Team USA ‘heartbroken’ for Nina O’Brien after huge giant slalom crash
O’Brien, the top American woman in the giant slalom event, crashed just before the finish line and had to be stretchered off the course.
US Ski & Snowboard later took to Twitter to say that O’Brien was “alert and responsive” after the high-speed accident
“We are so heartbroken for Nina… she showed so much heart and fire in her skiing today, and it all got shredded to pieces on the final turn. This sport… this sport is SO damn hard. It’s brutal, and it hurts- far more often than it ever feels good,” wrote Shiffrin on Twitter.
Graeme Massie7 February 2022 18:12
Vincent Zhou out of individual event after positive Covid test
Vincent Zhou, the second ranked American male skater behind Nathan Chan has tested positive for Covid-19 and will now be forced to miss the individual event on Tuesday.
Zhou, 21, helped the US secure a silver medal in the team event and was set to compete in the individual short programme when he was given the devastating news.
“It seems pretty unreal that of all the people, it would happen to myself,” he said in an emotional Instagram video after being told of the positive test.
“That’s not just because I am still processing this turn of events, but also because I have been doing everything in my power to stay free of COVID since the start of the pandemic.
“I have taken all the precautions I can and I have isolated myself so much that the loneliness can be crushing at times.”
Graeme Massie7 February 2022 17:57
Olympic skier Mikaela Shiffrin discusses being shaped by loss
Mikaela Shiffrin, who at 26 is perhaps the best alpine skier in American history, already has a few lifetimes worth of memorable wins under her belt as she heads into the Winter Olympics. But it is a loss she witnessed when she was a child that still sticks with her.
When she was 6 years old, the US hosted the winter games in Salt Lake City, where all-time great men’s skier Bode Miller already had two silver medals and was cruising towards a third in the slalom. All he needed was to complete a second attempt with a passable run to rack up a medal. Instead, the New Hampshire native went all guns blazing in an all-out play for gold, only to make an error on the course and lose his shot at a third podium. Miller hiked back up the mountain to finish out his run.
Josh Marcus has the story.
Graeme Massie7 February 2022 17:46