Snow falling from the skies would normally be regarded as a neccessity at a Winter Olympics. But it has been a rare enough sight in Beijing that its presence caused some significant issues on Sunday, though not for Marco Odermatt.
The Swiss athlete came into the competition as the favorite after a dominant giant slalom season, and secured an Olympic gold with his final run, despite poor visibility and the start of the race having been delayed by more than an hour.
“I really risked everything,” Odermatt said. “It’s difficult because you can lose everything but today it paid off. I won the medal today but it’s so much between (you) and a medal, there are so many shadows behind the medal, on the other side.”
Odermatt coped with the conditions, the delay and an error on his first run, to post a combined time of 2 minutes, 09.35 seconds.
Zan Kranjec of Slovenia took silver, 0.19 seconds behind, and world champion Mathieu Faivre of France earned bronze, 1.34 behind.
The skiers had been racing and training on artificial snow until the real thing started to fall on Saturday at the Yanqing Alpine Skiing Center.
Valieva on the list
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has been listed as a competitor in the women’s single skating short program, as the teenager awaits the outcome of a legal case presented to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The 15-year-old skater was listed as the 26th starter out of 30 competitors for Tuesday’s event, though it is yet to be determined whether she will be allowed to take the ice.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments at the Winter Games
Brotherly love
Norwegian brothers Johannes Thingnes Boe and Tarjei Boe both finished on the podium for the 10 km biathlon sprint race on February 12. Johannes, left, took the gold as Tarjei took the bronze. “It’s a fairy tale, to be on the podium with Johannes,” said Tarjei. “It is big for me… there is a lot of joy but also relief… to share this together both as a team and for the rest of our lives.”
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments at the Winter Games
A legend bows out
Saying goodbye to a legend: Shaun White has been a snowboarding pioneer for the past two decades, from winning gold at the 2006 Turin Winter Games to inspiring the next generation of stars. His fifth and final Olympics ended in heartbreak, as a fall on his final run on February 11 saw him miss out on the podium. But he retires with three golds, and a legacy that can never been tarnished.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments at the Winter Games
Seemingly weightless
Figure skater Nathan Chen conjured up a performance as technically sound as it was artistically impressive in men’s figure skating on February 10. The American executed moves of the highest difficulty one after another, remained almost flawless in all parts of his routine and claimed a richly deserved gold.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments at the Winter Games
Out of nowhere
An unbelievable comeback! Petra Vlhova could hardly come to terms with her gold medal win. After her first run in the slalom, the Slovak was only in seventh place and a chance at a medal seemed to be gone. But, with a flawless second run on February 9, she overtook all her rivals to her total surprise and delight.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments at the Winter Games
Between the cultures
“In America I’m American, in China I’m Chinese.” Eileen Gu repeats this sentence like a mantra at almost every press conference. The 18-year-old is already the face of the Games, and was so even before the start in Beijing. Born and raised in the United States, the ski freestyler has been competing for China for some time and won gold in the big air competition in Beijing on February 8.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments at the Winter Games
Say it ain’t so
Surely, not again? After her early exit in the giant slalom, gold medal favorite Mikaela Shiffrin was also eliminated on February 8 in the slalom after just a few gates. In this tough moment, the 26-year-old American’s mind turned to her father, who died in a tragic accident two years ago. “I would really like to call him now,” Shiffrin said tearfully. “But he’s not here anymore.”
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments at the Winter Games
Beware the bend
Even before the luge events begin, all the athletes tremble a little at the thought of the exit of the 13th bend. If you stray from the ideal line here, a fall is almost assured. That’s exactly what happened to gold medal favorite Julia Taubitz. After setting a course record in the first run on February 7, she crashed at the key point in her second, and any chance of a medal fell away, too.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments at the Winter Games
Sweeping all before them
“Piu, piu, piu” — “more, more, more” — Stefania Constantini called out to her partner, Amos Mosaner, again and again when she wanted him to sweep harder. The Italian pair set the standard in mixed-doubles curling on February 6, winning every game on their way to gold.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments at the Winter Games
Warming win
Pain or joy? It’s not easy to tell Therese Johaug’s prevailing emotion after her victory in the skiathlon. At the finish line, the Norwegian, who sprinted away from the competition in temperatures of -16 degrees Celsius (3 F), was certainly hurting at first, but the euphoria came soon after. The win on February 5 was her first individual Olympic victory and the first gold awarded in Beijing.
Author: Andreas Sten-Ziemons
Edited by: Martin Kuebler
Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 Digest: Marco Odermatt powers to slalom gold
Source:
Pinoy Pop News
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