Monday, February 12, 2018

PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics Day 3

Day 3

More astounding action on Day 3 of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics.

Highlights:


Team Figure Skating

Canada is golden tonight after a magnificent performance by ice dancing figure skating champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, winning Canada the gold in team figure skating.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada at Figure Skating Team Event, Ice Dance Free Dance PyeongChang 2018 Feb. 12, 2018, South Korea. Feb. 11, 2018 - Source: Jamie Squire/Getty Images AsiaPac

The Olympic Athletes from Russia, winning the top spot in women's figure skating with an astounding performance by Alina Zagitova, secure the silver. Mirai Nagasu and Adam Rippon scored high enough to keep the US ahead of Italy to take the bronze.

Mirai Nagasu made history as the first American woman, third woman after Japan's Midori Ito and Mao Asada, to successfully land a triple axle at the Olympics.

Mirai Nagasu (US) at Figure Skating Team Event Ladies Single Free Skate PyeongChang 2018, South Korea. Feb. 11, 2018 - Source: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images AsiaPac



Women's Snowboarding Slopestyle

American Jamie Anderson successfully defends her Sochi 2014 title to win the PyeongChang 2018 gold in Women's Slopestyle Snowboarding.

Jamie Anderson (US) Snowboard Ladies' Slopestyle Final PyeongChang 2018, South Korea. Feb. 11, 2018 - Source: David Ramos/Getty Images AsiaPac

Jamie Anderson becomes the first woman to win multiple snowboarding gold medals at the Olympics. Her first run scored the highest. She washed out in the second run. Then she had to wait anxiously as the rest of the field did their second run.

No one came close. Laurie Blouin of Canada finished second to claim the silver. And Finland's Enni Rukajarvi takes the bronze.



Women's Alpine Skiing Giant Slalom

Postponed to Thursday due to bad weather/high winds.


The rest of the events of Day 3 will be updated as the results come in. Do Not Read Below If You Intend To Watch Recorded Broadcast.

Spoilers will be posted below for Women's Biathlon 10km Pursuit, Men's Biathlon 12.5km Pursuit, Women's Speed Skating 1500m, Men's Freestyle Skiing Moguls, Women's Ski Jumping Individual Normal Hill.


Summary:

Women's Biathlon 10km Pursuit

Germany's Laura Dahlmeier has become the first double gold medalist at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics. The fourth ranked female biathlete easily won the Women's Biathlon 10km Pursuit. She had won the first gold on Day 1 in the 7.5km Sprint.

Laura Dahlmeier hit 19 out 20 targets, but it was enough to give her a big lead. In fact, Laura Dahlmeier had more than enough time to stop 50m from the finish line to retrieve a German flag from a fan, then wave that flag as she crossed the finish line to claim gold!

Gold medalist Laura Dahlmeier of Germany celebrates during the Women's Biathlon 10km Pursuit PyeongChang 2018 Winter February 12, 2018, South Korea. Feb. 11, 2018 - Source: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images AsiaPac

Dahlmeier finished a healthy 29 seconds ahead of Slovakia's Anastasiya Kuzmina, who narrowly beat France's Anais Bescond for silver. Bescond takes bronze.


Men's Biathlon 12.5km Pursuit

Back in top form, France's Martin Fourcade hit 19 out of 20 targets and overcomes a 27.8 second start deficit to win the gold in Men's Biathlon 12.5km Pursuit. He is the now the first biathlete to successfully defend an Olympic title, having won Sochi 2014 gold in this event. This win makes up for a disappointing 10km Sprint loss the day before, where he placed 8th. He finished at 32 minutes, 51.7 seconds. He had time to stop and pick up a French flag from the fans and cross the finish line waving that flag.


Martin Fourcade of France celebrates winning the gold medal during the Men's Biathlon 12.5km Pursuit PyeongChang 2018 February 12, 2018, South Korea. Feb. 11, 2018 - Source: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images AsiaPac

Sweden's Sebastian Samuelsson claimed silver with 33 minutes, 3.7 seconds. And Germany's Benedikt Doll earned bronze, closed at 33 minutes, 6.8 seconds. All three medal winners missed one shot and overcame the penalty lap to land on the podium.


Men's Freestyle Skiing Moguls

Canada's Mikael Kingsbury adds PyeongChang 2018 gold to his Sochi 2014 silver in Men's Moguls. He scored 86.63 in the third and final run to take the top spot.

As a spectator at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, then 17 year old Mikael Kingsbury watched as Alex Bilodeau won Canada's first gold on home soil. Four years later at Sochi 2014, he shared that podium as Alex Bilodeau took gold once more. Now, Kingsbury can add his own Olympics gold to six straight World Cup titles; he's currently the World Cup leader, well on his way to a 7th title win! At age 10, he made an Olympic rings poster above his bed with the words “I will win". And today, he did.



Mikael Kingsbury of Canada in Freestyle Skiing Men's Moguls Final PyeongChang 2018 February 12, 2018, South Korea. Feb. 11, 2018 - Source: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images AsiaPac

This is the third straight Olympics gold in Men's Moguls for Canada.

Matt Graham of Australia took silver scoring 82.57. Matt Graham claims Australia's first medal at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics. Daichi Hara of Japan takes bronze with 82.19. It is the first medal for Japan at the Pyongchang 2018 Winter Olympics.


Women's Speedskating 1500m

The Netherlands' Ireen Wust wins gold in the Women's Speedskating 1500m Event. It is her fifth Olympics gold! She finished in 1 minute, 54.35 seconds, beating Japan's Miho Takagi by 0.20 seconds! Miho Takagi claims silver, delivering Japan's second medal of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics.

Miho Takagi of Japan at Ladies 1,500m Long Track Speed Skating PyeongChang 2018 Winter February 12, 2018, South Korea. Feb. 11, 2018 - Source: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images AsiaPac

Marrit Leenstra continues the Dutch Speedskating dominance by taking the bronze with time of 1:55.26.


Women's Ski Jumping Individual Normal Hill

It was a freezing -11 Celsius (12 Fahrenheit) day as Maren Lundby delivers Norway's second gold medal of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, winning the Women's Ski Jumping Individual Normal Hill.

Maren Lundby of Norway at Ladies' Normal Hill Individual Ski Jumping PyeongChang 2018 February 12, 2018 South Korea. Feb. 11, 2018 - Source: Lars Baron/Getty Images AsiaPac

Maren Lundby survived a scary crash landing during training yesterday. She competed with a sore hip and still managed to show why she is the current World Cup leader, dominating the sport.

The athletes braved the frigid temperatures, wrapping themselves in blankets while waiting to jump. Strong gusts delayed many jumpers for safety reason. But the women toughed it out for themselves and to the delight of a small number of hard core fans who endured the freezing temperatures and enthusiastically cheered the athletes on.

In an incredible show of camaraderie and support, the women cheered for each other. Japan's Sara Takanashi landed 103.5 metres to move into the lead, but applauded sportingly as Germany's Katharina Althaus followed with 106.0m. The last to jump was Maren Lundby, who landed at 110m, taking the lead and winning the gold. Katharina Althaus of Germany takes silver. And Japan's Sara Takanashi claims bronze.

This is second time the women ski jumpers have participated in the Olympics. The first was at Sochi 2014, after a long struggle to be recognized as athletes and be allowed to compete in the Olympics. They still have some ways to go, as they are not yet allowed to take part in the Large Hill nor Team Event. But with their scores, the women continue to prove their skills and make a stronger case for more inclusion in the Olympics. Let the women jump the Large Hill and have a Team Event!


And so ends another high flying Day 3 of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics. For some athletes, they found redemption and glory. For others, it was the achievement of a long cherished dream, the culmination of many years of sacrifice and hard work. Congratulations to the medalists for a job well done.

4 comments:

  1. As you know, I am not very good at sport posts... or watching sport on TV... but I did see on the news last night that our wonderful British Winter Olympians had been unsettled by wind. Appalling.
    I may yet get involved with watching the curling. I believe Ms Mistress is fond of Winter sports?
    SX

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    1. Scarlet, The weather has been terrible for outdoors events, making conditions dangerous. But they predict the weather will be better in the coming days.

      The nice thing about the Olympics is the variety of sports being presented. The bad thing about the Olympics is the variety of sports being presented. I have to choose which events to watch live and which to catch on recorded plays.

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  2. I was thinking that the officials would postpone the Snowboarding Slopestyle event due to the very strong gusty winds that were obviously effecting many of the boarders, including Anderson's second run. ???

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    Replies
    1. LX, Postponing would've been the right and safe move. The International Skiing Federation is under fire got putting the athletes at risk. I'm guessing they're learning from this as they've adjusted several race courses and other outside scheduled events to mediate the weather dangers.

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