Kirsty Muir: Team GB’s youngest athlete’s first jump at Beijing Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympics is in full swing on a dramatic day four in Beijing after two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin went out of giant slalom after the 26-year-old lost an edge on the fifth gate of the first run and skied out. Still to come is a raft of action from ice hockey, luge, speed skating and ski jumping, as well as Great Britain’s mixed doubles curling semi-final against Norway. The Norwegians beat British duo Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat yesterday but both still reached the semis, where they meet again with medal hopes on the line.
Earlier on Monday, snowboarder Max Parrot soared in men’s snowboard slopestyle, as the cancer survivor won gold for Canada. An upgrade from the silver he earned at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, Parrot was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma- a type of blood cancer- in December 2018, forcing him to miss the whole of next season. But three years, he stands atop the Olympic podium, alongside his compatriot Mark McMorris who earned bronze.
Seventeen-year-old Kirsty Muir showed her mettle to soar into the final of the Olympic freestyle Big Air competition on the site of a former state-owned steel mill on the outskirts of Beijing. Muir, the youngest member of the 50-strong Team GB squad, nailed her first jump with a score of 89.25, the second biggest of the qualifying session which was only beaten by the French former World Cup winner Tess Ledeux.
Follow all the latest updates Winter Olympics news, updates and results below:
Winter Olympics 2022: Biathlon results confirmed with Herrmann claiming gold
The results of the 15km biathlon have been confirmed and Germany’s Denise Herrmann has taken gold!
France’s Anais Chevalier-Bouchet wins silver and bronze is won by Norway’s Marte Olsbu Roeiseland.
What a turn up for events in the biathlon with favourites the Oberg sisters way off the podium. Elvira ended the competition in 13th with Hanna in 16th.
A reminder that Herrmann was a cross-country skier but wanted a new challenge and so took up the biathlon. So many fairytale stories coming out of these Games.
Sarah Rendell7 February 2022 10:35
Winter Olympics 2022: What does ROC mean?
For a second successive Winter Olympics, Russian athletes will not compete under their nation’s banner at Beijing 2022.
In December 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) levied a four-year ban from international sport against Russia for running what it found to be a state-sponsored doping scheme.
This ban has since been reduced to two years, but qualified athletes will compete under the abbreviation ROC (Russian Olympic Committee) in China.
Sarah Rendell7 February 2022 10:29
Winter Olympics 2022: What are the rules of curling?
Britain will compete in the curling mixed doubles semi-final against Norway later today.
We will be bringing you all of the live updates from that one but if you want to brush up on the rules we have a piece to help you out.
Read below to explain all the ins and outs of the sport ahead of the big event.
Sarah Rendell7 February 2022 10:19
Winter Olympics 2022: Herrmann set to claim gold in women’s 15km biathlon
Germany’s Denise Herrmann is set to claim the gold medal in an upset at the Games! Silver will go to France’s Anais Chevalier-Bouchet and bronze is to be won by Norway’s Marte Olsbu Roeiseland.
The podium was in touching distance for Germany’s Vanessa Voigt as she raced to the finish line in the 15km biathlon but she misses out by just over a second!
She finished 1.3 seconds behind Roeiseland.
Sarah Rendell7 February 2022 10:09
Winter Olympics 2022: Women’s 15km biathlon update
So far Germany’s Denise Herrman is looking likely to take the gold in a upset in the event! The former skier set a time of 44:1:7.
Sweden’s Hanna and Elvira Oberg, who are sisters, were favourites but they are 9th and 10th. Both of them missed three targets and their skiing couldn’t make up for the errors.
Sarah Rendell7 February 2022 09:59
Winter Olympics 2022: Wust wins gold in women’s 1500m speed skating
Ireen Wust has defended her women’s 1500m speed skating title and has done so in a record time.
It’s the third title in the event for the Netherlands athlete and she has also become the oldest Dutch star to win a gold medal at 35. It was a nervous wait for Wust as she had to watch the final pair race while at the top of the leader board but Japan’s Miho Takagi and ROC’s Elizaveta Golubeva couldn’t pip her to the medal.
Takagi takes silver and Netherlands’ Antoinette de Jong wins bronze.
What a story for Wust who is competing at her last Olympics. She has also become the first Olympian ever to win a gold medal in individual events at five different Games.
Sarah Rendell7 February 2022 09:49
Winter Olympics 2022: Mikaela Shiffrin “heartbroken” to crash out
Mikaela Shiffrin was slated to become the first American alpine skier to win three gold medals but she crashed out of the women’s giant slalom event.
Sara Hector won the top prize and Shiffrin is heartbroken by the result. “I won’t ever get over this,” said the 26-year-old.
“That heartbreak never goes away and I think that’s what drives me to keep working. Sometimes they still happen and unfortunately it happened today.”
Sarah Rendell7 February 2022 09:42
Winter Olympics 2022: Ireen Wurst sets new Olympic record
Ireen Wurst has set a new Olympic record in the women’s 1500m speed skating final and what a story she has written for herself!
She is the Netherland’s most decorated Olympian of all time and this Games will be her last so the race could finish a fairytale story.
She managed to shave 1.54 seconds off of her compatriot Antoinette de Jong’s time and set a new Olympic record! The time was 1.53.28 and the defending champion is at the top of the table.
Sarah Rendell7 February 2022 09:37
Winter Olympics 2022: Gold medal events continue
The women’s 15km biathlon is ongoing with 9km done for the competitors who started first this morning, all updates coming when those medal places are confirmed.
The women’s 1500m speed skating final is back underway. The Netherlands’ Antoinette de Jong has just taken the top of the leader board there with Britain’s Ellia Smeding in 19th place currently.
Sarah Rendell7 February 2022 09:33
Winter Olympics 2022: Concern for Peng Shuai
Peng Shuai has described reports she accused a high-ranking Chinese official of sexual assault as a “huge misunderstanding” as she repeated her denial the alleged incident ever took place.
The former doubles world number one said in a social media post in November that she was forced to have sex with former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli. Her post was swiftly deleted and her subsequent silence raised fears over her safety.
Peng attended Monday’s mixed curling match between China and Norway and, according to the IOC, stated her intention to attend more events at the Winter Olympics over the next two weeks. She also accepted an invitation to visit IOC headquarters in Lausanne.
Sarah Rendell7 February 2022 09:24